(The Center Square) – Two Republican lawmakers say a controversial recommendation in the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program’s annual review runs afoul of the Constitution.
Republican Reps. Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss are raising concerns about the review’s suggestion to “to remove all firearms in households with children because the presence of firearms in a household increases the risk of suicide among adolescents.”
“Proposals to strip citizens of their firearms are not only unconstitutional but also lack common sense,” Nguyen stated. “While the report suggests reasonable safety measures for other risks, such as drowning, the CFRT overreaches by advocating for the elimination of firearms entirely from homes with children.”
The review further said that parents should get rid of firearms in houses with adolescents as well as “practice safe storage” for “all gun owners.”
The review, which has been released for the past 31 years and is required by the legislature, has made the same recommendation in the past, including under the Ducey administration; however, it is technically an independent body in which the report falls under the purview of the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In a letter to ADHS, the representatives are asking the department to ask CFRT to “amend” its review.
The governor’s office told The Center Square in December that the report does not reflect the view of Gov. Katie Hobbs and pointed out how the report says that recommendations “do not necessarily reflect the official views of ADHS or the State of Arizona.”
Still, the recommendation, regardless of what administration it occurred under, raised questions among Second Amendment advocates about why it’s being made in the first place.
“Our state should focus on education and safe practices, not on extreme measures that undermine individual liberties,” Bliss stated. “We stand firm in defending the Second Amendment rights of Arizona families.”