Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law this week making the state a “Second Amendment sanctuary” as the Biden administration rolls out new gun-control policies.
The law, called the Second Amendment Firearm Freedom Act, prohibits state and local law-enforcement officials from cooperating with federal gun laws that are “inconsistent with any law of this state regarding the regulation of firearms.”
The movement gets its inspiration from the wave of left-leaning localities that designated themselves as “sanctuary” cities to refuse cooperation with federal immigration officials during the Trump administration.
“There is a lot of discussion out of Washington about congressional action around the Second Amendment, and this law was simply to protect the rights we already enjoy in Arizona,” Ducey said on Tuesday.
“This bill has not changed anything,” he added. “That was a proactive law for what is possible to come out of the Biden administration.”
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone—a New Jersey Democrat backed by George Soros who defeated longtime conservative sheriff Joe Arpaio in the county surrounding Phoenix—said he was worried the law would create “confusion or challenges” for local police and sheriffs tasked with enforcing the law.
“You’re putting officers or deputies in this position, where they’re questioning whether or not some other entity will determine if it’s in conflict with the Second Amendment,” Penzone claimed, according to the Arizona Mirror.
“Therefore, do we act on it? And that’s where it creates problems,” he added.
President Joe Biden unveiled six new policies this week aimed at regulating firearms and restricting access to them.
The two most extreme policies directed the Justice Department to issue a proposed rule on “ghost guns,” or self-assembled weapons that often don’t have serial numbers, making them difficult to track. Another rule focused on modified pistols.
“Whether Congress acts or not I’m going to use all the resources at my disposal to keep people safe from gun violence,” Biden said this week. “There is more Congress can do to help that effort. This is just the start.”
Republicans, including Ducey, have pushed back on the executive orders, accusing Biden of violating the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
“The right to keep and bear arms is fundamental for preserving our liberty,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Twitter.
“The answer is not to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” he continued. “The answer is to go after violent criminals and come down on them like a ton of bricks.”
