Following the release of a controversial report by the Arizona Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT), State Representatives Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss have made their opposition clear. The CRFT's report proposed that, to prevent firearm-related deaths among children, firearms should be removed from any household with children - an idea Nguyen and Bliss find unacceptable. In a statement made by the Arizona House of Representatives, they argued that such a move is a "radical attack on the constitutional rights of Arizonans," likening it to past attempts to restrict Second Amendment freedoms in other states.
Their case points to last year's gun control order by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, which aimed to limit the carrying of firearms in public and was ultimately halted in court as being "insanely unconstitutional." CRFT's recommendation is seen by the Representatives as similarly extreme. Directly from their letter to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), they critique the CRFT for not proposing the elimination of pools and hot tubs in homes despite a higher incidence of child drowning in such environments. Instead, the CRFT suggested pragmatic measures like increased supervision and swim lessons. According to the Arizona House of Representatives, "Effective policy solutions—even for problems that are difficult and complex—must be designed to fully protect constitutional rights and liberties."
Representative Nguyen further drove home the point, declaring, "Proposals to strip citizens of their firearms are not only unconstitutional but also lack common sense." Their stance is that while the report offers sensible safety suggestions for other risks, it goes too far in the case of firearms by advocating for their complete removal from homes with children. Emphasizing education and safe practices over sweeping bans also scored some time in the spotlight, with Representative Bliss adding, "Our state should focus on education and safe practices, not on extreme measures that undermine individual liberties," as stated by the Arizona House of Representatives. Both Nguyen and Bliss are standing firm in defense of the Second Amendment rights for families across Arizona.
