League of Women Voters of Arizona

1934 E. Camelback Rd.

Suite 120, #277

Phoenix, Arizona 85016

lwvaz.org [email protected]

LWVAZ @LWVAZ @LWVAZ LWVAZ

League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Table of Contents

Pre-Convention Workshops ...... 3

STUDY REPORT AND POLICY PROPOSAL ...... 4

LWVAZ GUN SAFETY STUDY COMMITTEE REPORT ...... 4

Introduction...... 4

Background: Gun Violence and Gun Safety in Arizona ...... 5

The LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee: ...... 6

The Committee’s Work and Major Projects ...... 6

PROPOSAL AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 12

Position Statement ...... 12

Next Steps ...... 13

Timeliness of this Study and Proposal ...... 13

LWVAZ GUN SAFETY STUDY ADDENDUM ...... 17

ADDENDUM A ...... 17

ADDENDUM B ...... 18

Gun Safety Study Surveys ...... 18

ADDENDUM C ...... 22

ADDENDUM D ...... 22

ADDENDUM E ...... 38

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Pre-Convention Workshops

Tuesday, May 4, 6:00 PM Budgets Lynn Hoffman

An opportunity to review and ask questions about the proposed LWVAZ Operations and LWVAZ State Ed Fund Budget.

Thursday, May 6, 6:00 PM Zoom Protocols Pinny Sheoran & Judy Wood

Saturday, May 8, 1:00 PM Zoom Protocols Pinny Sheoran & Judy Wood

A time to practice the Zoom protocols that will be used for voting, raising hand to be recognized, and other protocols. (Same workshop is offered two different times.)

Monday, May 10, 6:00 PM Criminal Justice Reform Concurrence Nancy Hand

It is proposed that LWVAZ adopt the Criminal Justice Reform Position from California. This is the time to ask questions and become informed.

Tuesday, May 11, 6:00 PM Policy Positions Betty Bengtson

An important part of Convention is the adoption of Public Policy Positions for the coming two years. For a greater understanding of the process and proposed review of current positions attend this workshop.

Wednesday, May 12, 6:00 PM Gun Safety Study Kathy Aros

For two years the Gun Safety Committee has studied the issue and is now bringing it to the Convention for adoption.

Thursday, May 13, 6:00 PM Bylaws Amendments Susan Walter

The LWVAZ State Bylaws have undergone some proposed changes; we will vote on these changes at Convention. Join this workshop to learn more about the changes. There will be time for a Q&A.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Gun Safety Consensus

STUDY REPORT AND POLICY PROPOSAL

The LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee requests that the LWVAZ Convention adopt the proposed position on gun safety as a new policy position.

The Gun Safety Study Committee is made up of members from multiple Arizona Leagues and respectfully submits this report. Kathy Aros, Chair Greater Tucson Lynn Blankenship Greater Tucson Kristin Delaplane Greater Tucson Kathy Dubbs Greater Tucson Michele Garrick Nave NW Maricopa Mary Grove Northern Arizona Joyce Haas Central Yavapai Laura Hudson Metro Phoenix Freda Johnson Greater Tucson Susan Peters Greater Tucson Mary Elizabeth Pollard Greater Tucson Elizabeth Zegura Greater Tucson

LWVAZ GUN SAFETY STUDY COMMITTEE REPORT Introduction

Guns and Ammo Magazine has consistently ranked Arizona the #1 best state for gun owners. It receives top marks in every single category.1 Why? Because Arizona has almost no laws governing firearms.

In Arizona you can:

• Buy a gun without a waiting period, license, registration, or training. • Carry a concealed weapon without a license if you are 21. • Buy an assault weapon or large‐capacity magazine. • Buy a gun from an unlicensed dealer without a background check. • Keep an unlocked, loaded gun in your home even if children are present. • Keep a gun even though you may pose a threat to yourself or others. • Carry a gun—openly or concealed—almost everywhere. • Possess a gun even though you have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse which is against federal law.

In the latest polls, 97% of Americans support Universal Background Checks for the purchase of a gun. Most people—including gun owners—also support other sensible gun laws. Many of these laws have been proposed in the Arizona State Legislature every year, but most never get a hearing.

The Gun Safety Study Committee, after nearly two years of research, proposes that LWVAZ adopt a

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 position on gun safety so that members of our league may ally with other groups to lobby for laws to make Arizonans safer from gun violence.

What follows is a more detailed look at gun violence and safety issues in Arizona, as well as a summary of the Gun Safety Study Committee’s origins, goals, and protocols; an overview of the projects undertaken by the Committee, including our research, surveys, Facts & Issues reports, and interactive JR Project event; and our conclusions and proposed Position Statement, together with reflections on where to go from here.

Background: Gun Violence and Gun Safety in Arizona Someone is killed with a gun every eight hours in Arizona. The state recorded 1,136 firearm deaths in 2019—an increase of over 200 fatalities in a five‐year period.2 Of the dead, some were children whose deaths would have been 100% preventable with a Safe Gun Storage law; others were victims of domestic violence, murdered by partners or relatives with a history of aggression; and many were suicide victims— often acting on impulse—who might have lived if their firearms had been locked up and unloaded.

Mass shootings occur every year both nationwide and in Arizona. The Gun Violence Archive defines these events as acts of gun violence in which four or more persons are killed or injured, not including the shooter.3 The deadliest of these in recent years was the 2011 Safeway parking lot shooting in Tucson, where a young man with high‐capacity magazines and a semi‐automatic weapon killed six and wounded 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Despite its political motivation and high‐profile victims, the incident was by no means unusual. As recently as 2019, six mass shootings with seven people dead and 27 wounded were recorded in the state.4

Common sense firearms safety laws would help mitigate the gun violence crisis. Yet none of the many gun safety bills introduced in the Arizona legislature since 2014 have reached the committee floor.5 The proposals that failed to gain a hearing during that period included Safe Gun Storage bills, bans on assault weapons and bump‐piece devices, limits on magazine capacity, required background checks for firearm transfers, the removal of firearms from perpetrators of domestic assault, and Severe Threat Orders of Protection—or “Red Flag” laws—to restrict firearm access for individuals posing a danger to themselves or others. Even non‐regulatory proposals only peripherally related to firearms—such as a bill proposing the creation of a school safety hotline and an initiative calling for a committee to study violence prevention and public safety— were blocked.6

Despite research documenting the effectiveness of firearm safety measures, a partisan majority of Arizona legislators have long opposed gun safety regulations, while passing firearm bills that protect guns, and those who use them, from both local and federal gun safety ordinances.7 One example is A.R.S. (Arizona Revised Statutes) §13‐3108, which prohibits Arizona counties and municipalities from enacting regulations on such activities as the transportation, possession, licensing, storage, and registration of firearms. The same law also prohibits local authorities from maintaining records on guns, gun owners, and sales or transfers of guns in their jurisdiction.8 A second example is A.R.S. §13‐3114, which declared that firearms or ammunition manufactured commercially or privately in Arizona are not subject to federal laws or regulations if they remain within the state.9 Not surprisingly, Giffords.org gives Arizona an “F” rating for firearm safety, and in 2015 the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence called Arizona the state with the loosest gun laws.10

Arizona’s resistance to gun safety regulations is deeply entrenched in the state’s history and politics, but it is also a function of the frontier mentality and Old West legacy still present in Arizona.11 In film and fiction, the

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

“Wild West” has been romanticized as a land of wide‐open spaces, rough and tumble cowboys, outlaws and shootouts, and ubiquitous firearms. While this image is skewed—glorifying violent responses to perceived threats rather than the gun safety laws of towns like Tombstone, Deadwood, Dodge City, and Abilene12—the frontier values underlying the myth still resonate with many Arizonans, despite the state’s rapid population growth and demographic changes, the ever‐increasing deadliness of modern firearms, and the sheer numbers of guns circulating freely in Arizona.

Given the absence of registration requirements, the exact number of firearms present in Arizona is impossible to determine. Statista.com reports that the state has the 7th highest number of registered guns in the country, while CBS News and the RAND Corporation estimate that almost half of all adults in Arizona have guns at home.13 The real question, of course, is how many of these households contain multiple and high‐capacity weapons – and are these weapons properly stored?

Looking back in history, it is important to remember that even Old Tombstone instituted firearm regulations to help keep the peace, as noted earlier.14 Modern‐day studies have repeatedly shown that gun violence decreases significantly with an increase in gun safety protocols. These facts, together with deep‐seated concerns about escalating gun violence and questions about how best to address the crisis, led to the formation of the LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee and this report.

The LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee: Origins, Goals, and Protocols

At the LWVAZ convention in May 2019, a proposal was approved for a new study on “gun control and gun safety as a public health issue as it related both nationally and more specifically as an Arizona issue.” In early September of 2019, President Kathy Aros (LWVGT) convened the first meeting of a statewide Committee, which then met every other week when feasible. Although most members were from Tucson, members of other leagues were included via Zoom (GT, NWVMC, CYC, and MP). A core group soon established itself and remains to the present time. Through consensus, Committee members developed a mission statement: “To propose a LWVAZ position on gun safety issues through research, education and consensus‐building. We will recommend actions, including potential legislation.” 15

Since the Committee members all came with varying degrees of knowledge about gun safety, we set about to educate ourselves on the subject. One of the first things we learned was that Arizona has almost no laws regarding the purchase and use of guns. We developed a list of basic issues, divided it up, and began our research for what would eventually become the Facts & Issues reports which were sent out to all members of the Arizona League.

To achieve consensus of statewide members, we sent two surveys on gun issues to all LWVAZ members, with well‐researched Facts & Issues provided in between the two surveys to assist members in making informed choices.

The introductory Facts & Issues was sent out on February 14, 2020 in the LWVAZ newsletter to prepare members for the first survey that would poll members on which issues were most important to them and on whether they even saw gun safety as a problem. We included startling facts that we had learned in our extensive research in hopes of piquing their interest and alerting them to the upcoming survey. Very soon thereafter we developed what we hoped was an eye‐ catching logo to include on all the Facts & Issues. The Committee’s Work and Major Projects

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

1. Research: The Committee’s goal was to provide fact‐based research on the issues that resonated with our membership and to respond to additional gun violence issues in Arizona. Creating the Facts & Issues reports required extensive and varied types of research on each of the 11 topics that we addressed. All of the research in these reports is footnoted and attributed to the appropriate sources. These sources included books, news articles, periodicals, eyewitness and expert testimonies, Internet websites, and national databases. These resources are catalogued in our own database library (See Appendices). This wealth of knowledge helped us articulate the severity of the gun violence issues facing our state and nation, the various positions on firearms held by different subgroups of our population, and the potential solutions to gun violence that have proven effective or appear promising.

2. Surveys Survey 1:

In February 2020, the Committee launched its first survey to all AZ League members. Intent on learning the state’s appetite and support for a study on gun safety, the Committee designed a seven‐question survey. The design was a combination of Yes/No and open‐ended questions, as well as an invitation to be a Committee member; 186 members from 6 leagues responded.

Notably, 100% of the respondents indicated their belief that gun violence is an Arizona public safety issue. Furthermore, 98% also said gun safety was a very serious or serious issue on the survey scale. Particular areas of concern included: 1. The lack of background checks and the need for bans on assault weapons and high‐capacity magazines. 2. The ease of purchasing guns. 3. A combination of domestic violence, red flag laws, open and concealed carry laws, and the need for some sort of licensing. Ranking their top five gun issues, members overwhelming supported: 1. Background checks. 2. Assault weapon bans. 3. High‐capacity magazine bans. 4. Preventing domestic violence offenders from possessing guns. 5. High Risk/Red Flag laws.

Numerous other gun safety topics were important to members. This collection of priorities provided guidance to the areas of focus and study for the Committee’s next steps in the development of Facts & Issues.

Survey 2:

Following the publication of 11 Facts & Issues articles throughout 2020, the Committee sent a second survey to all AZ League members in December. The aim was to ascertain, based on shared knowledge and data, what specific issues our League’s members supported. The 37‐question survey structure was different from the first; 202 participants, from 6 leagues, responded to 36 Yes/No questions and to one open‐ended question asking for their top legislative priority related to gun safety. This survey design also offered a brief introductory comment on each topic to reinforce the data gleaned from the Facts & Issues research.

Once again, 99% of our members strongly agreed that gun violence is a public health issue in AZ, and 99%

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 or more agreed on the need for:

● Mandatory background checks. ● Required safety training for gun purchases. ● Required permits/licensing for gun ownership. ● Elimination of the gun show loophole. ● Regulation of assault weapons. ● Regulation of high‐capacity magazines. ● Community‐based violence intervention programs. ● More accountability for police shootings. ● Required de‐escalation training. ● Less lethal intervention where possible. ● Removing guns from domestic violence abusers. ● Not arming teachers in schools.

Of the 36 Yes/No questions, members supported all but 3 of the gun safety measures they were asked to assess at rates of 95% or higher.

School safety measure responses varied, whether it was for the presence of armed officers, shooter drills, or the “hardening” of schools. Where we noted best membership alignment was around increased funding for school counselors and agreement to not support the arming of teachers in the classroom.

Responses to the open‐ended question, which asked members to identify their top legislative priority related to gun safety, were aligned around: 1. Mandating background checks. 2. Banning assault weapons and high‐capacity magazines. 3. Implementing a firearm licensing process. The output of the two surveys has guided Committee study and informed our position statement.

3. Facts & Issues: Guns in Arizona

A Study by the LWVAZ to Formulate a Position on Gun Safety

A major project of the Gun Safety Study Committee was the assembly and publication of 11 Facts & Issues reports that were distributed to Arizona League members electronically in the Advocacy and Action electronic newsletter, published by the LWVAZ Advocacy Committee starting in February 2020. While numerous topics pertaining to gun violence and gun safety merited attention, those prioritized and included in the Facts & Issues reports were determined by the Committee’s research and discussions and by the ranked responses of state League members to the first survey. The following is a summary of the 11 Facts & Issues publications. For the complete texts of the reports, see Appendices.

Facts & Issues #1: Guns in Arizona—Introduction The first Facts & Issues report summarizes the current state of gun violence, gun safety, and gun laws in Arizona, which has the loosest firearm regulations in the country according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. This introductory Facts & Issues report focuses on major categories of firearm deaths (suicide, domestic violence, childhood accidents with guns) and compares the high frequency of firearm deaths in Arizona to more widely publicized, and lower, mortality rates from other causes such as car crashes and childhood drownings. Facts & Issues #1 also examines Arizona’s lack of conformity to

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 widely accepted gun safety standards, despite evidence that states with stronger gun laws have lower death rates.

Facts & Issues #2: Safe Storage of Firearms Facts & Issues #2 focuses on the safe storage of firearms, on preventable firearm accidents involving children, and on the major types of gun‐related deaths that could be prevented or reduced in number by safe storage practices. These safety protocols include keeping firearms locked up, making sure they are unloaded, and storing ammunition separately. Research has shown these safety practices to be effective in states with Childhood Access Prevention (CAP) laws, where they are particularly successful in preventing accidental deaths of children, thwarting suicides, and reducing the number of crimes perpetrated with stolen weapons.16 Yet 23 states, including Arizona, have no laws requiring safe firearm storage.

Facts & Issues #3: Stopping Gun Violence in Schools School Safety is a major concern in our communities, and there are divergent viewpoints on how best to address gun violence in schools. National polls of the AFT, NEA, and NASRO do not support arming teachers as a response to the threat.17 Similarly, parents of students do not support arming teachers. Most states do require active shooter drills, as suggested by the NRA, but their effectiveness and repercussions are unknown.

While there is no nationwide consensus on best practices for making schools safe, research has identified a series of risk factors associated with gun violence in schools. A study of mass shootings from 1966‐2019 found that nearly all school shooters were current or former students at the school and that they exhibited warning signs prior to the incident.18 Studies also show that children will access guns when they are present and unlocked in their homes and that access to firearms triples their risk of death by suicide and homicide.19

The subject of gun violence in schools is complex and has multiple facets that need to be addressed.

Facts & Issues #4: The Disproportionate Impact of Guns on the Black Community The Committee found the statistics on this issue alarming. Guns are the number one cause of death of Black children.20 Black Americans are killed by guns at a rate 10 times higher than that of white Americans. New research is showing that incarceration does very little to stop gun homicide. Community violence intervention organizations are effective.21

Stand‐Your‐Ground laws increase firearm homicides and injuries and fail to deter crime. When White shooters kill Black victims, these homicides are 11 times more frequently deemed justifiable than when the shooter is Black and the victim is White.22

Over 1,000 Americans are killed each year by police.23 Black Americans are killed by police at twice the rate of White Americans. This pattern is sustained by policing and justice systems that often sanction and condone rather than penalize and seek to eradicate police violence.

There is no single solution to racial differences in gun violence outcomes, but changes to our laws, revision of policies, and reordering of funding priorities all based on research must be enacted if there is to be any improvement to the system.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Facts & Issues #5: Background Checks

The lack of Universal Background Checks emerged as the strongest issue in the first Gun Safety Study Committee survey. Background checks are intended to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, users of controlled substances, dishonorably discharged veterans, underage individuals, and those with certain mental conditions. Arizona only requires a background check for purchases from licensed gun dealers. Buying on the Internet, at yard sales, in a parking lot, or at private sales requires no background checks in Arizona. It is estimated that about 1 in 5 transfers nationally are completed without any background check at all. 24

Numerous mass shootings have been perpetrated by individuals who would not have passed background checks. And while there is little research on the impact of background checks, the Boston School of Public Health researcher Michael Siegel concluded that states requiring Universal Background Checks had homicide rates 15% lower than states without this law.25

In national polls, up to 97% of Americans support Universal Background Checks. Although approximately 69% of NRA members support Universal Background Checks, gun lobbies and the NRA have successfully pushed back against these checks.

Facts & Issues #6: Red Flag Laws Extreme Risk Prevention Orders, also known as Red Flag laws, allow family members and law enforcement to ask a court to temporarily suspend a person’s access to guns when there is evidence that the person poses a risk of using firearms to harm themselves or others. In 90% of school shootings between 2009 and 2017, the shooters exhibited warning signs. A 2020 RAND Corporation study concluded that “if ERPOs are well targeted and have a high likelihood of preventing a suicide or a homicide, then they could substantially lower state homicide or suicide rates.”26 Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of ERPO, including at least 5 signed into law by Republican governors. With safeguards such as due process and time limits, ERPOs can save lives.

Facts & Issues #7: Veteran Suicide An average of 4,200 veterans die by firearm suicide every year; that is approximately 11 deaths per day. Since 2005, the veteran firearm suicide rate has increased by 33%, reaching near‐ epidemic proportions. One factor is that former members of our armed forces are 1.5 times more likely to own guns than non‐ veterans, and firearms are the weapon of choice for most veteran suicides.

There are a number of research‐based solutions that should be implemented to address this public health crisis. Red Flag Laws would identify veterans who are at risk of suicide and remove their guns temporarily. Secure Storage laws would also distance the veteran from his or her gun— currently, one in three veteran gun owners keeps at least one firearm loaded and unlocked. The magnitude of the loss of veterans to suicide needs urgent action, including more robust assistance from the Veterans Administration Health Support Services, to prevent these tragic deaths.

Facts & Issues #8: Ghost Guns A ghost gun is a DIY, homemade gun made from readily available, unregulated components. It is produced by individuals, not manufacturers. Ghost guns do not have serial numbers and are untraceable, and their components are acquired without a background check.

Ghost guns are predictably emerging as a weapon of choice for violent criminals, gun traffickers, dangerous

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 extremists, and other people legally prohibited from buying firearms.

Ghost gun kits sold online are designed and marketed so that almost any person, even one with limited technical skills, can do the necessary work to build a real gun in less than one hour. If the person has a drill and an hour, they can circumvent gun safety laws and make a ghost gun.

Because of the ATF’s (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) current interpretation of the law, the core components of ghost guns are not regulated as “firearms.”

Facts & Issues #9: Domestic Violence

Guns and domestic violence are a deadly combination. When a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, a woman is five times more likely to die. Between 2009 and 2013 Arizona’s rate of intimate partner gun murder was 45% higher than the national average. Domestic violence homicides can be prevented by strengthening gun safety laws so that abusers are denied access to firearms. As it stands in Arizona, judges and law enforcement are authorized, but not required, to remove guns from domestic abusers. Making sure guns are taken out of the hands of abusers is one step further to saving the lives of women and children.

Facts & Issues #10: Assault Weapons and High‐Capacity Magazines

This issue was the second greatest concern of LWVAZ members in the first survey. In 2009, the Justice Department defined assault weapons as “semi‐automatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.” High‐capacity magazines are the ammunition feeding devices, typically holding more than 10 rounds (bullets). The Giffords Law Center goes further and says assault weapons “are specifically designed to kill humans quickly and efficiently.”27

The deadliest mass shootings in recent history have one thing in common: the use of assault weapons. 28 Recent events have evidenced civilians brandishing assault weapons in public protests and uprisings. There is a proliferation of these deadly weapons, yet no one knows just how many are out there. Twelve years ago, the NRA estimated that between 8.5 to 15 million assault weapons were in the hands of private citizens. Millions have been sold in the last few years alone. There is no firearm registry for these weapons.

In 1994, Congress enacted a ban on assault weapons. Gun massacres decreased 37% during that ban. The ban expired after 10 years and was not reinstated due to the successful efforts of gun lobbies and the NRA. In Arizona it is extremely easy to purchase assault weapons and high‐ capacity magazines. While an 18‐year‐old cannot purchase a pistol legally, he/she can legally purchase an assault weapon.

Facts & Issues #11: A Brief History of the Second Amendment

—Politics of Guns in America

This final Facts & Issues report explores the origins and history of the Second Amendment, the different ways it has been interpreted and politicized over the years, its implications for gun safety regulations, and the evolution of Second Amendment Supreme Court decisions.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

4. The JR Project

In September 2020, the LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee had the opportunity to partner with the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church in Phoenix to present The JR Project event: Guns in America. JR is an internationally recognized artist and photographer creating murals that depict complex social issues. Time Magazine contracted with JR to bring together a variety of voices in search of common ground on one of our nation’s most divisive topics.

The Zoom event utilized a combination of interactive, photographic murals, stories from each of the 245 interviewed individuals, well‐designed breakout sessions, videos, and trained facilitators. Our mission was to understand the many different perspectives on gun violence. We hoped to build awareness as well as develop empathy for different viewpoints.

Our Committee was able to offer this event to all League members in Arizona; 34 attended.

From this small, but committed group, we learned that language is an issue when it comes to guns. “Safety” vs. “Control,” for example can evoke significantly different responses. Additionally, the presence of guns is not worrisome to all who have grown up with guns but may be threatening to those who are not gun owners.

We believe we have a better understanding of where people stand on the issue of guns and an openness to listening to other people’s viewpoints following this webinar.

PROPOSAL AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Position Statement

Based on the Committee’s research and League members’ consensus from the second survey, the following Position Statement was crafted by the Committee and approved by the LWVAZ Board on January 9, 2021.

Over the last three decades, the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) has advocated for gun safety legislation. The LWVUS believes that gun violence in the United States is a major health and safety threat to its citizens. The LWVUS supports strong federal measures regulating gun ownership by private citizens with licensing procedures including a waiting period for background checks, personal identity verification, gun safety education, and licensing renewal. All Arizona citizens have a right and need to feel safe. We believe gun ownership comes with civic responsibility, demonstrating responsible ownership and handling. Responsible ownership and handling should be supported by: 1. Enacting Universal Background Checks for all gun purchases and transfers. 2. Regulating assault weapons and high‐capacity magazines including restricting the presence of assault weapons to rifle ranges. 3. Enacting a licensing process that requires background checks and safety training/education compliance. 4. Requiring safety training for gun purchases and carrying concealed weapons. 5. Enacting a waiting period for gun purchases. 6. Enacting Safe Storage laws for unattended guns. 7. Enacting a law allowing judges to temporarily remove guns from a person where there is clear evidence that the person poses a danger to themselves or others.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

8. Enacting laws preventing people with domestic violence convictions from possessing guns and ammunition. 9. Repealing Stand‐Your‐Ground laws. 10. Restricting the presence of guns in public spaces. 11. Allowing communities to implement voluntary programs such as buy‐back or gun disposal. 12. Regulating “ghost” guns and/or sales of their components. 13. Outlawing straw gun purchases.

Additionally, we advocate for: 14. Supporting and funding community‐based violence intervention programs. 15. Mandating de‐escalation training for law enforcement. 16. Requiring more accountability for police shootings. 17. No armed teachers, security, or school resource officers. 18. Supporting research‐based initiatives/activities that have shown to reduce school shootings. 19. Supporting and funding research on gun violence at all levels of government.

Next Steps

The LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee offers the above Position Statement to the State League membership for your consideration and discussion. If the LWVAZ adopts the Position Statement by a vote at the 2021 Convention, we would also like to propose that:

● A statewide LWVAZ committee be formed to lobby the legislature on gun safety issues. ● The Advocacy and Gun Safety Study Committees combine their efforts to promote firearm safety legislation. ● The League explore ways of educating the public about gun safety (perhaps through public forums and/or other events). ● The LWVAZ collaborate with other organizations, including the National League, to promote firearm safety legislation and to educate the public about gun safety.

Timeliness of this Study and Proposal

The gun violence that racked the United States in the last year is a reminder of how timely and urgent the above proposals, and Gun Safety Laws, are. This year, the installation of a new U.S. Administration offers all of us an extraordinary opportunity to address this public health crisis with fresh ideas and renewed commitment, energy, and hope.

The LWVUS recently sent a letter to the Biden administration outlining their hopes for the future, including a statement advocating the end of gun violence in America. Here is an excerpt from that text:

The League believes that the Biden Administration should work with the 117th Congress to adopt legislation that will close the gun show loophole, provide universal background checks, increase penalties for straw purchases of guns, ban assault weapons, place limits on high‐ capacity ammunition magazine size, fund research and reporting on gun violence in America. The nation needs and demands comprehensive gun reform, including placing limits on magazine size is a common‐sense solution to shootings that risks multiple lives. This limit should include magazines and other ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. These devices allow shooters to fire numerous rounds in rapid succession without

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 having to stop and reload, and they have been a central part of the mass killings in schools and public meeting places. In addition, background checks are not required for the 40 percent of gun sales that take place at gun shows, person‐to‐person sales, or other private transactions. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that support for background checks is almost universal with 97 percent of voters in favor of background checks on all gun purchasers. This is the highest level of support ever measured by the independent poll.29

The LWVAZ Gun Safety Study Committee echoes these ideas and sentiments, while taking hope from the fact that support for background checks on all gun purchasers is currently at an all‐time high level. The time is ripe for safer firearm regulations and protocols.

End Notes 1 The categories listed are the following: the right to carry, including concealed carry; black rifles, or assault weapons; the “castle doctrine,” meaning Stand‐Your Ground laws; preemption statues; and Red Flag laws. Arizona is also valued by firearm aficionados for its strong and competitive shooting scene and for its strong firearm industry presence—exemplified by the Gunsite Academy in Paulden, AZ, described as “America’s premier gun training center.” See https://www.gunsite.com/locations/gunsite‐academy‐paulden‐arizona/. 2 “Firearm Mortality by State,” National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm. 3 “Mass Shooting Methodology and reasoning,” The Explainer, Gun Violence Archive, https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/explainer. 4 “Mass Shootings in 2019,” Gun Violence Archive, https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass‐ shooting?year=2019&sort=asc&order=State . 5 Meg Pradelt, email message to Kathleen Dubbs, 5 February 2021. Meg Pradelt is the legislative chair for Gun Violence Prevention ‐ Arizona (GVPA). 6 The summary of proposed firearm bills in Arizona that were never heard in committee is from Meg Pradelt (see Note 5), who has tracked firearm bill proposals in the State Legislature since 2014. Email message to Kathleen Dubbs, 5 February 2021. 7 For an overview of gun violence, gun safety, and Arizona firearm regulations, see Jessica M. Rosenthal and Jesenia M. Pizarro, Arizona Gun Laws 101, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, 2019, http://www.azfgs.com/wp‐content/uploads/2019/09/Arizona‐Gun‐Laws‐101‐4.19.pdf. 8 Very pointedly, this statute also prohibits local governments from enacting any firearm regulation more “prohibitive” or “restrictive” than state law. See A.R.S. §13‐3108, https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03108.htm. This statute, as well as A.R.S. §12‐941‐945 governing the disposal of seized or unclaimed property, was successfully invoked by the state in its opposition to Tucson Code 2‐142, which in 2005 authorized the destruction of seized, unclaimed, and forfeited firearms by the Tucson Police Department. See https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme‐ court/2017/cv‐16‐0301‐sa.html. 9 See A.R.S. §13‐3114, https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03114.htm. 10 “Arizona Gun Laws,” Giffords Law Center, https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun‐laws/states/arizona/; “Mass Shooting in Mesa and Arizona’s Loosest Gun Laws in the Country,” Brady United, 18 March 2015, https://www.bradyunited.org/press‐releases/mass‐shooting‐in‐mesa‐and‐arizonas‐loosest‐gun‐laws‐in‐the‐ nation. Despite giving Arizona a score of “F,” the Giffords Law Center currently ranks the state 45th out of 50 states for gun safety. See “Gun Law Scorecard,” Giffords Law Center, https://giffords.org/lawcenter/resources/scorecard/#AZ. 11 Douglas Heingartner, “Frontier Mentality Is still Alive and Well in the West,” Psych News Daily, 9 September 2020, https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/frontier‐mentality‐still‐seen‐in‐residents‐of‐wild‐west‐

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 states/. Scholars who study frontier mentality note the “chronic fear and permanently heightened vigilance” that exist “in frontier topographies to help avoid physical threats,” as well as the sense of freedom and independence among frontier settlers, the harshness of frontier terrains, the frequent distrust of strangers among inhabitants of these regions, and the ethos of independence, individualism, and toughness they exhibit. See Friedrich M. Götz, Stefan Stieger, et al., “Physical Topography Is Associated with Human Personality,” Nature Human Behaviour 4, 1135–1144, 7 September 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562‐020‐0930‐x. 12 Matt Jancer, “Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West,” Smithsonian Magazine, 5 February 2018, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun‐control‐old‐west‐180968013/ 13 See “Number of Registered Weapons in the U.S. by State, 2019,” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/215655/number‐of‐registered‐weapons‐in‐the‐us‐by‐state/. In a long‐term study, published in 2020 and covering the years 1980‐2016, the RAND Corporation estimates that 46.3% of adults in Arizona live in homes with guns, but the study offers no statistics on households with multiple firearms or, more importantly, on the actual number of firearms present in Arizona. See “Gun Ownership by State: Arizona,” CBS News, https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun‐ownership‐rates‐by‐state/28/ ; and Terry L. Schell, Samuel Peterson, et al., “State‐Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership,” RAND Corporation, 2020, https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TL354.html. 14 Matt Jancer, “Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West,” Smithsonian Magazine, 5 February 2018, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun‐control‐old‐west‐180968013/ . 15 For the complete Mission Statement, see Appendices. 16 “Gun Policy in America,” The RAND Corporation, https://www.rand.org/research/gun‐policy/analysis/child‐ access‐prevention.html. 17 “Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools,” Everytown for Gun Safety, 1 May 2019, http://everytownresearch.org/arming‐teachers‐introduces‐new‐risks‐into‐schools. 18 “The Violence Project Database of Mass Shootings in the United States, 1966‐2019,” The Violence Project, November 2019, https://www.theviolenceproject.org/. See also “The Impact of School Safety Drills for Active Shootings,” Everytown for Gun Safety, https://everytownresearch.org/report/the‐impact‐of‐school‐ safety‐drills‐ for‐active‐shootings/ 19 “Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools,” Everytown for Gun Safety, 1 May 2019, http://everytownresearch.org/arming‐teachers‐introduces‐new‐risks‐into‐schools. 20 “Gun Violence 8: The Number of Children and Teens Killed with Guns Each Day in the U.S.,” Children’s Defense Fund, https://www.childrensdefense.org/wp‐content/uploads/2018/06/Gun_Violence.pdf. 21 “Study Finds Increased Incarceration Has Marginal‐to‐Zero Impact on Crime,” Equal Justice Initiative, 7 August 2017, https://eji.org/news/study‐finds‐increased‐incarceration‐does‐not‐reduce‐crime/. 22 “Stand Your Ground Laws Are a License to Kill,” Everytown for Gun Safety, 25 January 2021, https://everytownresearch.org/fact‐sheet‐stand‐your‐ground. 23 “Fatal Force: 900 People Have Been Shot and Killed by Police in the Past Year,” Washington Post, 9 February 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police‐shootings‐database/. 24 Matthew Miller, Lisa Hepburn, and Deborah Azrael, “Firearm Acquisition without Background Checks,” The Annals of Internal Medicine, 21 February 2017, https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/m16‐1590. 25 Jessica Colarossi and Kat J McAlpine, “The FBI and CDC Datasets Agree: Who Has Guns—Not Which Guns— Linked to Murder Rates,” The Brink: Pioneering Research from Boston University, 6 August 2019, http://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/state‐gun‐laws‐that‐reduce‐gun‐deaths. 26 “The Effects of Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” Gun Policy in America, RAND Corporation, 20 April 2020, https://www.rand.org/research/gun‐policy/analysis/extreme‐risk‐protection‐orders.html. 27 “Hardware and Ammunition: Assault Weapons,” Giffords Law Center, https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun‐ laws/policy‐areas/hardware‐ammunition/assault‐weapons/. 28 Chris Canipe and Lazaro Gamio, “What the Deadliest Mass Shootings Have in Common,” Axios, 7

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

September 2019, https://www.axios.com/deadliest‐mass‐shootings‐common‐4211bafd‐da85‐41d4‐b3b2‐ b51ff61e7c86.html. 29 Virginia Kase and Deborah Turner, “The League Anticipates Working Closely with the Biden Administration,” memo to President‐Elect Joe Biden and transition team, 4 January 2021, https://www.lwv.org/league‐ management/league‐anticipates‐working‐closely‐biden‐administration . See also Priya Pandey, “LWVUS Priorities in the New Biden Administration: Hopes of a New Era of Progress, Peace, Prosperity, and Unity,” 27 January 2021, https://www.lwv.org/blog/lwvus‐priorities‐new‐biden‐ administration.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

LWVAZ GUN SAFETY STUDY ADDENDUM

Table of Contents

Addendum A…...... Mission Statement Addendum B…...... Surveys 1 & 2 Addendum C…...... ………....JR Flyer Addendum D…...... Facts & Issues Addendum E…...... Resources

ADDENDUM A

LWVAZ GUN SAFETY STUDY MISSION STATEMENT

To propose a LWVAZ position on gun safety issues through research, education, and consensus building.

We will recommend actions including potential legislation.

1. Research to include, but is not limited to: a. Public Health Crises to include domestic violence and suicide b. Public Safety to include school safeguards and red flags for mental health and violence indicators c. Community gun violence incidents d. Weaponry to include assault weapons and high capacity magazines e. Regulations to include: permitting, training, background checks, prohibitions, relinquishment, state reciprocity

2. League members throughout AZ will be included to provide input and reaction to data collection, assessment, and recommendations through: a. Inclusion on the Gun Safety Committee of various league members throughout AZ b. Facts & Issues dissemination of information c. Survey questions to assess areas of importance and priorities d. Unit Meeting agenda topics and collection of feedback

3. Community input will include: a. Law enforcement organizations b. Public health providers c. School administrators d. Local businesses

Dated: October 2019

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

ADDENDUM B Gun Safety Study Surveys

SURVEY #1 February 2020 Q.1. Do you think gun violence is an Arizona public safety concern? Q.2. If yes, how serious a problem is it? Q.3. When you think about public safety and guns in Arizona, is there a particular issue that concerns you? Q.4. The Issues: Please check your top 5 gun issues in Arizona regarding public safety. · Mandatory background checks · Register gun sales and ownership · Online sales · Mandatory training · Mandatory licensing · Waiting periods · Domestic violence · High Risk/Red Flag laws · Safe storage · Assault weapons ban · High‐capacity magazines · Open carry/concealed carry · Guns in public spaces · Gun buy‐back programs · Gun lobby and industry accountability · Guns and school safety Q.5. Are there any issues you would add to this list? Please list any additions. Q.6. Summary: Do you believe current AZ gun laws have made you and your family more safe or less safe? Q.7. Why? Q. 8. Would you be interested in helping our committee as we move forward on this study? If so, please contact . Q. 9. Your age: Q.10. Local League Affiliation/Membership Greater Tucson Metro Phoenix Northwest Maricopa Central Yavapai County Greater Verde Valley Flagstaff No League Affiliation

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

SURVEY #2 December 2020

Introduction

At the 2019 LWVAZ Convention, delegates approved a new 2‐year study entitled “State Gun Safety Study, A Public Health Issue” to develop a position on gun safety issues.

We have worked diligently to inform our membership of our research through online events and 11 carefully researched briefs called Facts & Issues which are focused on the concerns you indicated in a previous survey.

We have one more survey we would like you to complete so that we can prepare our final gun safety policy proposal for the LWVAZ Board in January. The proposal developed by the committee depends upon the results of this survey. If approved by the Board the policy proposal will be presented at Convention for a vote. We need to receive your survey submission within 10 DAYS. We respectfully request you take a few minutes out of your day to complete the survey as soon as possible. Your personal input is so very important.

Thank you on behalf of the LWVAZ Gun Safety Committee

Building Consensus on Arizona Gun Safety Survey

Q.1. Do you think gun violence in Arizona is a public health concern?

More than 90% of Americans support Universal Background Checks to purchase a gun. And yet in Arizona anyone over 18 can legally buy a gun from an unlicensed seller with no questions asked because our state does not mandate Universal Background Checks. Q.2. Would you support mandatory background checks for all gun purchases? Q.3. Would you support mandatory background checks for all firearm transfers (acquiring a gun through inheritance or gift)?

Licensed firearms dealers are required to send the buyer’s information to NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) before selling a firearm. However, if NICS does not respond within three days, the purchase is allowed to go through without a background check. Q.4. Should a background check be completed before a purchase is allowed? Q.5. Would you support requiring safety training for gun purchases?

When Connecticut required both permits (licenses) and background checks firearm suicide declined 15% over the following decade. When Missouri repealed similar laws, the state experienced a 16% increase in the firearm suicide rate over the following five years. Q.6. Would you support laws that require a purchaser to obtain a permit or license and pass a background check?

The so‐called Gun Show Loophole in federal firearms regulations exempts private dealers from running background checks at gun shows. Q.7. Would you support legislation requiring all dealers to run criminal background checks at gun shows?

A ghost gun is a homemade gun capable of being assembled in less than an hour with parts sold on the internet. The resulting guns are not regulated, are mostly undetectable by metal detectors, and require no

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 background checks. There are no statistics on how many ghost guns exist, but a good 30% of firearms recovered by Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms in California are ghost guns. Q.8. Would you support regulating ghost guns and/or their components? Q.9. Would you support laws prohibiting online sales of kits, parts, or pre‐assembled guns?

An assault weapon is a semi‐automatic firearm that shoots a high‐capacity ammunition magazine designed for rapid fire and mass destruction in combat. A high‐capacity magazine can hold 10 to 100 rounds. (A round is a casing that holds everything needed to fire a single shot – a bullet, propellant/gunpowder, and primer/compound that lights the propellant.) Q.10. Would you support regulations on assault weapons? Q.11. Would you support regulations on high‐capacity magazines? Q.12. Would you support laws banning future sales of assault weapons? Q.13. Would you support laws banning future sales of high‐capacity magazines? Q.14. Would you support a state or community sponsored gun and ammunition buy‐back program? Q.15. Should the presence of assault weapons be restricted to rifle ranges?

Fatal shootings on school grounds account for 0.2% of the approximately 36,000 gun deaths annually in the United States, but their impact is devastating. Among the security measures proposed to address this problem, school shooter drills have been shown to traumatize children and arming teachers has not been shown to make children safer. Q.16. Should school shooter safety drills be discouraged? Q.17. Should we fund more school counselors in an effort to aid troubled students? Q.18. Should we fund the hardening of schools? (Fencing, narrow windows, locked doors, metal detectors, etc.)

There is no evidence that teachers or specially trained police with guns can keep children safe, but the presence of a gun in the classroom may increase the potential for danger to students and the presence of police feeds the school‐to‐prison pipeline and increases the likelihood that Black children, children of color, and children with disabilities will be disproportionately punished. Q.19. Do you believe teachers should be armed? Q.20. Do you believe schools should have armed police on school grounds?

Black Americans are killed by guns at a rate 10 times higher than that of white Americans and guns are the number one cause of death of Black children. New research shows that heavy sentences and incarceration in general do very little to stop gun homicide, but that community‐ based violence intervention organizations are an effective front‐line defense. Q.21. Would you support funding for community‐based violence intervention programs?

Arizona’s Stand Your Ground Law gives individuals the right to use deadly force to defend themselves without any requirement to evade or retreat from a dangerous situation. Research shows Stand Your Ground Laws increase firearm homicides and injuries, fail to deter crime, and are unevenly applied to Black and white shooters. Q.22. Should AZ eliminate its Stand Your Ground Law?

Statistics show that Black Americans are killed by police at twice the rate of white Americans and are more likely than their white peers to be killed while unarmed and while in police custody. Over 1,000 Americans are killed each year by police. Q.23. Would you support laws requiring more accountability for police shootings?

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Q.24. Would you support requiring mandates for de‐escalation training? Q.25. Would you support requiring less lethal intervention whenever possible?

Nearly two‐thirds of all gun deaths in the US are suicides. 4200 Veterans die by suicide each year and are 1.5 times more likely to own guns and store them loaded and not locked away. Suicide attempts are often impulsive, singular episodes that involve little planning. Research shows safe storage and waiting periods for purchase of guns prevent suicide and other gun violence.

Most people who attempt suicide do not die—unless they use a gun. In gun suicides 90 percent of attempts end in death. Q.26. Would you support a law requiring safe storage for unattended guns? Q.27. Would you support a waiting period for buying guns? Q.28. Should Arizona enact a law allowing a judge to remove guns based on evidence that a person poses a danger to themselves?

Children die from unintended gunshots on average once a week in the US. 100% of these deaths could have been prevented. Laws requiring safe storage of guns have been proven to be effective in preventing suicides as well as accidental child shooting deaths.

Child Access Prevention laws hold gun owners accountable for the safe storage of firearms and impose liability for failing to take simple measures to prevent guns from falling into the hands of children. Over 20 years of research shows that Child Access Prevention laws can reduce suicide and unintentional gun deaths and injuries among youth by up to 54%. Q.29. Do you believe Arizona should require firearms to be locked up safely? Q.30. Do you believe there should be legal consequences for violation of safe storage laws?

It is a Federal crime for a person convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse to possess a gun. Because of the lack of Arizona state or local jurisdictions replicating this law, enforcement is non‐existent. Research shows laws that keep guns out of the hands of abusers save lives. Q.31. Do you believe Arizona should enact laws to prevent domestic violence convictions from having guns? Q.32. Do you believe people with domestic violence convictions should be required to surrender their guns and ammunition?

Red Flag laws allow family members and law enforcement to ask a court to temporarily suspend a person’s access to guns when there is evidence that person poses a risk of using them to harm themselves or others. Fourteen states and D.C. have already passed Red Flag laws and they are saving lives. Effective Red Flag laws limit who can ask for a court order, require evidence that the person poses a real risk, require due process, and ensure that order is time limited. Q.33. Would you support passing a Red Flag Law?

CDC research into the causes of gun violence could lead to effective public policies designed to reduce gun deaths and injuries ‐‐ but funding for this research has been drastically reduced. Q.34. Do you believe research on gun violence should be fully restored and funded?

Currently, Arizona has almost no laws regarding gun ownership. Q.35. Would you support the prosecution of straw purchasers? (Straw purchasers buy a firearm on behalf of an individual who cannot pass a background check or otherwise purchase a firearm.)

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Q.36. Should guns be allowed in public spaces? Q.37. If the legislature could make one law regulating the purchase of firearms, what should it be?

Q.38. Comments?

Q.39. What League are you with? Greater Tucson Metro Phoenix Northwest Maricopa Central Yavapai County Greater Verde Valley Flagstaff No League Affiliation

ADDENDUM C

Gun Safety Study JR Flyer

THE GUN CHRONICLES: A STORY OF AMERICA

International Visual artist JR and Time magazine have created this interactive mural of interviews with over 200 Americans with honest and divergent views. It is being screened across the US in New Orleans, Chicago, Brooklyn, Dallas and now PHOENIX. A must see to experience! As we listen and have our own honest conversations with each other, perhaps we can begin a dialogue to create a safer world for our children.

Thursday, September 12 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Paradise Valley UMC 4455 E. Lincoln Dr. Paradise Valley, AZ Sponsored by: The Gun Violence Awareness Task Force Desert Southwest Conference, United Methodist Church (Bring your cell phone and earbuds if you have them. We will have some to share)

Pre‐view: www.time.com/Guns‐in‐America

ADDENDUM D

Gun Safety Study Facts & Issues

Facts & Issues #1

GUNS IN ARIZONA: A STUDY BY THE LWVAZ TO FORMULATE A POSITION ON GUN SAFETY

Fact: Guns and Ammo Magazine in 2019 ranked Arizona the #1 best state for gun owners—basically because it has almost no restrictions on gun ownership and use.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Fact: In 2015 the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence called Arizona the state with the loosest gun laws, making it the best location for criminals to get guns. · In 2017, more Arizona children aged 0‐17 died from firearms (43) than from drowning (35). 1 · Nearly 71% of all gun deaths in Arizona are suicides. 2 · More than 67% of Arizona’s intimate partner homicides involve a gun. 3 · In 2017, Arizona had 1,134 deaths from firearms compared to 1,017 deaths from car crashes.4 Motor vehicle accident deaths have been significantly reduced through research and regulation. Gun violence is a public health issue and could be treated as such. · So far this year, 6 children from ages 1‐10 have been killed by firearms—one of them shot by a toddler.5 · Arizona officials are unable to enforce a federal law without a state law that mirrors it. The evidence is clear. States with stronger gun laws lower death rates, year after year.” (Giffords Law Center) Among other things, Arizona does not: · Require background checks by unlicensed sellers (private parties, gun shows) · Require safe storage of guns in homes · Require a permit and training to acquire a firearm · Require a waiting period to purchase a firearm · Require gun registration · Require a license to carry a concealed weapon · Prohibit possession of assault weapons and large‐capacity magazines

Who are we and why are we telling you this?

The League of Women Voters Arizona Gun Safety Committee is composed of 13 League members from across the state, chaired by Kathy Aros of Tucson. In order to formulate a position on gun safety which represents a majority of League members’ opinions, we will be sending you a survey in early 2020 to determine your priorities on this issue.

Resources for Facts & Issues #1 https://cvpcs.asu.edu/ (stats by county) https://www.thetrace.org/

End Notes for Facts & Issues #1 1 Arizona Child Fatality Review, 15 November 2018, https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/prevention/womens‐ childrens‐health/reports‐fact‐sheets/child‐fatality‐review‐annual‐reports/cfr‐annual‐report‐2018.pdf. 2 “The State of Gun Violence in Arizona,” Giffords Law Center, https://giffords.org/wp‐ content/uploads/2020/01/Giffords‐Law‐Center‐State‐of‐Gun‐Violence‐in‐Arizona‐2020.pdf. 3 “The State of Gun Violence in Arizona,” Giffords Law Center, https://lawcenter.giffords.org/. 4 Ðeaths: Final Data for 2017,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 68, No. 9, June 24, 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_09_tables‐508.pdf. 5 Arizona Child Fatality Review.

Facts & Issues #2

GUNS IN ARIZONA: SAFE STORAGE OF FIREARMS

The toddler who finds the loaded gun, points it at his head and pulls the trigger…

The teenager who suddenly finds life unbearable and knows where his dad keeps the gun … The troubled high schooler who vows revenge and has access to his dad’s arsenal…

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

The burglar who comes upon an unlocked handgun… • The two‐year‐old took the loaded gun from under his father’s pillow, pointed it at his own forehead and pulled the trigger. With an estimated 4.6 million children living in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm it is no wonder that children die from unintended gunshots an average of once a week. 100% of these deaths could be prevented by child‐proof safety locks, but 23 states, including Arizona, have no laws concerning firearm storage. • Suicides account for 2/3 of all gun deaths in the United States. In a clinical study of suicidal patients, nearly half said they had thought about suicide for 10 minutes or less before their attempt.2 The suicide rate decreases by 10% if a gun is unloaded, by 10% more if unloaded and locked, and by a further 10% if locked, unloaded and with ammunition stored elsewhere. This would seem to give someone time to reconsider. According to the Centers for Disease control, the suicide rate for white children 10‐17 went up 70% between 2006 and 2016. For children of color the increase was even greater. • According to the National Threat Assessment Center, 73‐80% of school shooters under 18 acquired guns from their home or the homes of relatives or friends.3 What if those guns had been locked up? • It is estimated that guns are stolen from private homes at the rate of more than one per minute. They are significantly less likely to be stolen if they are locked and unloaded, making us all safer. • According to a RAND Corporation study,4 of the 13 types of state‐level gun policies in effect, the only one that seems to be effective is the Child‐Access Prevention law—i.e. these laws reduce firearm self‐ injuries and unintended injuries and deaths among children. Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws hold gun owners accountable for the safe storage of their firearms. • “But what if I want my gun to be accessible to protect my home against intruders?” says the gun owner. In 2009, Jackson v. City and County of San Francisco ruled that guns in the home are most often used in suicides and against family and friends rather than in self‐defense. San Francisco showed that the ordinance in question imposed only a minimal burden on the right to self‐ defense in the home because it causes a delay of only a few seconds while the firearm is unlocked or retrieved. • In 2004, after a Sahuarita toddler killed himself with his father’s gun, then Arizona State Representative Victoria Steele introduced a safe storage bill in the legislature. It never got a hearing.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #2 1 Deborah Azrael, Joanna Cohen, et al., “Firearm Storage in Gun‐Owning Households with Children: Results of a 2015 National Survey,” Journal of Urban Health, 10 May 2018, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11524‐ 018‐0261‐7. 2 Eberhard A Deisenhammer, Chy‐Meng Ing, et al., “The Duration of the Suicidal Process: How Much Time Is Left for Intervention between Consideration and Accomplishment of a Suicide Attempt?,” The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 20 October 2008, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19026258/. 3 “Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Target School Violence,” November 2019, https://www.secretservice.gov/node/2565. 4 “What Science Tells Us about the Effects of Gun Policies,” Gun Policy in America, RAND Corporation, 2 March 2018, https://www.rand.org/research/gun‐policy/key‐findings/what‐science‐tells‐ us‐about‐the‐ effects‐of‐gun‐policies.html.

Facts & Issues #3

STOPPING GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS COULD REACTION BECOME OVERREACTION?

In the quest for school safety, has our desire to do something in the face of tragedy led to actions and proposals that could make schools and students less safe?

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Fatal shootings on school grounds account for 0.2% of the approximately 36,000 gun deaths annually in the United States.1

Under the rubric hardening schools, the NRA identified a number of building security measures including arming teachers and conducting active shooter drills.2 It is the two latter topics that are the focus here. They are not discreet but blend one into the other.

SHOULD WE ARM TEACHERS? · No, say the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA).3 · No, says the National Association of School Resources Officers (NASRO). · 73% of respondents to a March 2018 survey of 500 teachers opposed proposals to arm teachers. · 63% of parents of elementary, middle and high school students also oppose arming teachers. · Research supports the idea children will access guns when guns are present. · Access to firearms triples the risk of death by suicide and homicide.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AFT, NEA and the NASRO § Adopt evidence‐based interventions backed by sensible gun laws. § Establish threat assessment programs. § Implement basic security upgrades. § Plan in advance for emergencies. § Establish safe and equitable schools.

ARE ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS EFFECTIVE? · At least 40 states require active shooter drills. · The number and variety of drills make it difficult to measure their effectiveness. · Everytown reports mental health professionals are warning about the effect of drills on students. Are drills making students afraid of school? 4 · A $2.7 billion training industry has arisen as a response to mass shootings. 5 · A study from 1966‐2019 of mass shootings found that nearly all shooters were current or former students and would have been aware of protocols and procedures.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM EVERYTOWN, AFT, NEA, NASRO and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS. § Drill simulations should not mimic an actual event. § Parents should have advance notice. Drills should be announced to students and teachers prior to their start. § Schools should create age and developmentally appropriate contexts for drills. § Couple drills with approaches to address students’ well‐being. § Track data about the efficacy and effects of drills.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #3 1 The Impact of School Safety Drills for Active Shootings | Everytown Research & Policy. 2 February 14, 2019 ‐ Education Votes (nea.org). 3 Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools | Everytown Research & Policy. 4 When Active‐Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect ‐ (nytimes.com). 5 The Company Behind America’s Scariest School Shooter Drills (thetrace.org).

Facts & Issues #4

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF GUNS ON THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Black Americans are killed by guns at a rate 10 times higher than that of white Americans and shot and injured at a rate 15 times higher, often leaving survivors permanently impaired. Guns are the number one cause of death of Black children.1 · Tamir Rice, age 12, was playing with a toy gun in the park. He was killed by police within seconds of them arriving on the scene.2 · Knowledge Sims, age 7, was killed in a drive‐by shooting. His sister, 13, was injured. The shooters are still at large.3 · Amaude Arbery, a young man who was out for a run, was killed by vigilantes. Citing stand‐ your‐ground and citizens’ arrest laws, prosecutors declined to press charges until videos of the murder incited public outrage.4

Decades of underinvestment and other deliberate policy decisions, like those that uphold housing segregation in predominantly Black neighborhoods, have created the environments in which public health epidemics, like COVID‐19 and gun violence, thrive.

New research is showing that heavy sentences and incarceration in general do very little to stop gun homicide, but that community‐based violence intervention organizations are an effective front‐line defense.5 Prototype programs like those started in Boston and Oakland that target the few really violent offenders and intervene with mediation, job assistance, and other services have cut gun violence in half in those communities!6

Stand‐your‐ground laws disproportionately harm Black people. These laws increase firearm homicides and injuries and fail to deter crime. When White shooters kill Black victims, these homicides are 11 times more frequently deemed justifiable under Stand‐Your‐Ground laws than when the shooter is Black and the victim is White.7

Although gun ownership for Black Americans is far lower than for White Americans,8 bias creates inequities in how safely Black Americans can exercise their legal right to carry a gun. When white men carry guns such as the COVID‐19 lock down protesters who screamed in police officers’ faces at the Michigan capital last May, they are given a pass.9 When Black men carry guns in public they are feared and criminalized. John Crawford was gunned down for holding a potential BB gun purchase in a Walmart.10 Tamir Rice was just playing with a toy in the park.

Police shootings are also gun violence. Over 1,000 Americans are killed each year by police.11 In Arizona, police killed 62 people in 2018. 11 Black Americans are killed by police at twice the rate of White Americans and are more likely than their White peers to be killed while unarmed and while in police custody.12

As we have seen from video evidence these past few weeks, police shootings of nonviolent people are not isolated cases of negligence or bad apples. This pattern of brutality is sustained by policing and justice systems that often sanction and condone rather than penalize and seek to eradicate police violence.

There is no single solution to racial differences in gun violence outcomes, but changes to our laws, revision of policies and reordering of funding priorities all based on research must be enacted if there is to be any improvement to the system.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #4

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

1 Gun_Violence.pdf (childrensdefense.org). 2 In Tamir Rice Case, Many Errors by Cleveland Police, Then a Fatal One ‐ The New York Times (nytimes.com). 3 Police plead for tips in shooting that killed 7‐year‐old boy, hurt 13‐year‐old girl (wistv.com). 4 What We Know About the Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery ‐ The New York Times (nytimes.com). 5 Study Finds Increased Incarceration Has Marginal‐to‐Zero Impact on Crime (eji.org). 6 Lessons from Oakland’s Citywide Effort that Dramatically Reduced Gun Violence | Giffords. 7 Stand Your Ground Laws Are A License to Kill | Everytown Research & Policy | Everytown Research & Policy. 8 The demographics of gun ownership in the U.S. | Pew Research Center. 9 Armed protesters demonstrate against Covid‐19 lockdown at Michigan capitol | Michigan | The Guardian. 10 Walmart: 911 caller 'intentionally lied to police' about man with toy gun fatally shot in Ohio store (wsbtv.com). 11 Police shootings database 2015‐2021 ‐ Washington Post. 12 Mapping Police Violence.

Facts & Issues #5

UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS

So you want to buy a gun… You go to one of the 50,000+ licensed gun stores in this country (four times the number of the McDonalds!), and you fill out ATF Form 4473, which asks for your identifying information plus questions about whether or not you are a person prohibited from purchasing a firearm. The dealer conveys your information to NICS (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System) at the FBI. Within an hour or so they receive a response: Proceed with the transfer, Delay (for further investigation) or Deny. If it does not appear that you are a convicted felon, an unlawful user of a controlled substance, a person with certain mental conditions, dishonorably discharged from the military, etc., you can walk out of the store with a gun. If it says Delay, the FBI has three business days to get back to the dealer with a final disposition. However, if it fails to contact the dealer within that time, the dealer may sell you a gun at his discretion. If it says Deny, no licensed dealer will sell to you (but see below for other options).

• Dylann Roof, of the 2015 Charleston church mass shooting, should have been denied the right to purchase a gun due to a drug conviction, but due to a mix up in jurisdiction, the FBI did not get back within three days and he was able to legally buy a gun. As a result, nine people are dead.

• In 2017, a gunman killed 26 worshipers in the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church in Texas. He never should have been able to buy a weapon, but the military failed to report the fact that he had been arrested for domestic violence. It is far from the only time a failure to report to NICS has resulted in gun deaths.

But … firearms bought through licensed dealers are the only ones required to have background checks in Arizona. If you buy a gun at certain sites on the Internet, or at a garage sale, or in a parking lot, no background check is required. According to a 2017 study in The Annals of Internal Medicine, about one in five firearm transfers (sales or otherwise) occur without any background check at all.

• The vast majority (up to 97% in some polls) of Americans support a proposal for universal background checks. Why, then, do we not have them?

The NRA (National Rifle Association) has one of the most powerful lobbies in the U.S. It does not hesitate to

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 urge its members to call their elected officials at the slightest hint of possible gun safety legislation. And whenever the NRA leadership looks like it is leaning towards compromise on any kind of gun legislation, smaller, more extreme groups such as Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights push forcefully against any restrictions on guns.

Even though polls suggest that at least 69% of NRA members support universal background checks, these gun rights groups consider the passage of such a law to be the start of a slippery slope to gun registration and, in their minds, the possibility of government confiscation.

• Would Background checks do any good?

While there have not been enough studies done to say for sure, Boston School of Public Health researcher Michael Siegel concluded that state gun laws requiring universal background checks resulted in homicide rates 15% lower than states without such laws. Much of the research indicates that background checks in conjunction with other legislation such as permit‐to‐ purchase laws can reduce gun violence as well as constrain the illegal gun market. Is it time for Arizona legislators to listen to the people and pass such a law?

In February of 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. The Senate refuses to consider it.

Facts & Issues #6 RED FLAG LAWS ● A man admitted his plans to kill his estranged wife, her sister, and their pastor to his church congregation. Police filed a petition, and a judge ultimately ordered both the man’s handgun and concealed‐ weapons license removed. Everyone survived. ● A concerned individual contacted police regarding a text message they had received, which contained an image of a man holding a gun in his mouth. Police officers went to the man's house, where he told the officers he was intending to die by suicide. Police then obtained an order to temporarily remove the man's firearm. Everyone survived. ● A 21‐year‐old man posted statements online threatening his former high school. Two acquaintances reported these posts to police, with one person reporting a post that appeared to show the man holding an AR‐type rifle. A temporary ex parte order was obtained, and a full order was issued after a hearing.1 Everyone survived. ● In each of the mass shootings at Parkland, Santa Barbara, and the theater in Aurora, people saw warning signs prior to the shooting, and even took steps to intervene. But without a Red Flag law, nothing could be done, and the shooters legally acquired the weapons they used to collectively kill 35 and wound 93 innocent people.

Red Flag Laws / Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)

Red Flag laws create a way for family members and law enforcement to act before warning signs escalate into tragedies. When a person is in crisis, loved ones and law enforcement are often the first to see signs that they pose a threat. Red Flag laws allow family members and law enforcement to ask a court to temporarily suspend a person’s access to guns when there is evidence that person poses a risk of using them to harm themselves or others. If a court finds that a person poses a danger of injuring themselves or others with a firearm, that person is temporarily prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns and required to turn over their guns while the order is in effect.

Researchers found that in over half of mass shooting incidents between 2009 and 2017, the shooter

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 exhibited warning signs that they posed a danger to themselves or others before the shooting. In school shootings the percentage is even higher—90% exhibited warning signs.

In the states that have Red Flag laws on the books, these laws are already saving lives. Fourteen states and D.C. have passed Red Flag laws. Five of the laws passed last year were signed by Republican governors. Effective Red Flag laws limit who can ask for a court order, require evidence that the person poses a real risk, require due process, and ensure that order is time limited.

We can’t always stop someone from hurting themselves or others, but Red Flag orders give families the ability to make the situation significantly less lethal, giving loved ones a second chance to get the help they need.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #6

1 Garen J. Wintemute, Veronica A. Pear, et al., “Extreme Risk Protection Orders Intended to Prevent Mass Shootings,” Annals of Internal Medicine, 5 November 2019, https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M19‐ 2162.

Facts & Issues #7

VETERAN SUICIDE

During a five‐day period in April 2019, three veterans died by suicide at Veterans Affairs facilities. In Dublin, Georgia, a 28‐year‐old veteran died inside his car in the parking lot of a VA medical center.1 The next day, at a VA hospital less than 200 miles away in Decatur, Georgia, a 68‐year‐old veteran died outside the main entrance of the hospital.2 And shortly after that, a veteran died by suicide inside the waiting room of a VA clinic in Austin, Texas. Guns were used in all three suicides. · An average of 4200 veterans die by firearm suicide every year – about 11 deaths per day. · Firearms are the prevailing method of suicide among veterans. Gun ownership increases the likelihood of firearm suicide and these suicide attempts are nearly always lethal. · The veteran firearm suicide rate has increased by 33% since 2005. Non‐veteran suicide rates increased by 23%. · Veterans are 1.5 times more likely to own guns than non‐veterans and are more likely to die by firearm suicide. · Nationwide, 53,230 military veterans died by gun suicide in the period between 2005 and 2017 ‐ more than 13 times the number of service members who were killed in action during the United States engagements in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria combined.3

Research Based Proven Solutions 1) Enact Red Flag Laws—‐Identify veterans who are at extreme risk for self‐harm and temporarily remove guns. This has been shown to reduce suicide in states where Red Flag Laws have been implemented. 2) Promote secure storage practices in order to put time and distance between those contemplating suicide and their guns. 3) One in three veteran gun owners store at least one of their firearms loaded and unlocked. 4) Healthcare professionals need to have conversations about gun access and suicide risk. 5) Invest in additional research on the effectiveness of initiatives like the Gun Shop Project which provides suicide prevention literature at firearm retailers.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

6) Study which Veterans Health Administration services are most effective in preventing firearm suicide.

• Community involvement. • Collaboration: A coordinated effort at the federal, state, and local levels is key to preventing Veteran suicide. • Urgency: The magnitude of the loss of Veteran life to suicide is not acceptable, and urgent action is needed to prevent these tragic deaths.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #7 1 “National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, 2018–2028, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2018, https://www.sprc.org/resources‐programs/national‐strategy‐preventing‐veteran‐suicide‐ 2018%E2%80%932028. 2 “New Report from Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund Details Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans and Key Ways to Prevent It,´ 24 October 2019, https://everytown.org/press/new‐report‐from‐everytown‐for‐gun‐ safety‐support‐fund‐details‐firearm‐suicide‐ among‐military‐veterans‐and‐key‐ways‐to‐prevent‐it/. 3 “Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans,” 24 October 2019, https://everytownresearch.org/report/those‐who‐serve‐addressing‐firearm‐suicide‐among‐military‐veterans/.

Facts & Issues #8

GHOST GUNS ● In California, a 16‐year‐old boy shot and killed two of his classmates and shot and wounded three others with a ghost gun. 1 ● In Texas, a man who failed a background check went on a shooting rampage with an assault‐style ghost gun that left seven people dead and 22 shot and wounded .2 ● In Arizona, a neo‐Nazi sex offender bragged on Facebook about his arsenal of firearms and homemade assault‐style ghost guns .3

Ghost guns undermine our gun safety laws

A ghost gun is a DIY, homemade gun made from readily available, unregulated building blocks. It is produced at home by an individual, not a federally licensed manufacturer or importer. Ghost guns are unserialized, untraceable, and their building blocks are acquired without a background check.

Ghost guns are predictably emerging as a weapon of choice for violent criminals, gun traffickers, dangerous extremists, and other people legally prohibited from buying firearms. For example, 30 percent of the guns being recovered by ATF in California are unserialized. 4

Because of ATF’s (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) current interpretation of the law, the core building blocks for guns are not regulated as “firearms” and therefore can be acquired with no background check and made into a fully functioning, untraceable AR‐15 or handgun in less than one hour.

The current ATF position states that frames and receivers (the primary building blocks of firearms) do not qualify as firearms until they have been completely drilled out (see illustration below), even though unfinished frames and receivers can easily be made into a firearm by drilling a few well‐placed holes. Ghost gun kits sold online are designed and marketed so that almost any person—even one with limited technical skills— can do the necessary work to build a real gun in less than one hour.

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

This loophole could be closed with a new ATF definition of firearm frames and receivers or with new state or federal laws prohibiting the purchase and sale of ghost guns. 5

Under ATF’s current interpretation of federal law, whether it’s a 15‐year‐old, a felon, a domestic abuser, or a gun trafficker, if the person has a drill and an hour, they can undermine our gun safety laws and make a ghost gun.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #8 1 Officials Confirm Santa Clarita Shooter Used A Ghost Gun: LAist. 2 Authorities Suspect Man of Making and Selling Gun Used in Texas Shooting ‐ WSJ. 3 How Facebook Led the FBI to Seize Guns From an Arizona 'Neo‐Nazi' | Phoenix New Times. 4 Alain Stephens, West Coast Correspondent at The Trace, 5 ATF & the Rising Threat of Ghost Guns | Everytown Research & Policy | Everytown Research & Policy.

Facts & Issues #9

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & GUNS

Intimate partner gun violence is a woman’s issue. The correlation between guns and fatal Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is so strong that just living in a state with a high rate of gun ownership increases women’s risk of being fatally shot in a domestic violence incident.1 Domestic violence claims at least 2000 lives each year of which 70% of the victims are women.2

In Arizona 87 women were fatally shot by a partner from 2014‐2018.3 According to the FBI, there were 342 domestic violence homicides in Arizona from 2003 to 2012. Of those, 61% were killed by firearms. 3 · When it comes to gun violence, the US is the most dangerous country for women among high‐ income nations. In 2015, an astounding 92% of all women killed with guns in these countries were from the US. 2 · If victims were previously threatened with a gun by their partner, the risk of death jumps dramatically leaving the victim 20 times more likely to die.1 · Every month an average of 52 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. · Black women are twice as likely to be fatally shot by an intimate partner compared to white women.4 · Nearly one million women alive today have reported being shot or shot at by intimate partners.

IPV gun violence is a children’s issue. Over half of all mass shootings are domestic violence related and children are the most common victims of domestic mass shootings.1The Huffington Post found that children under 17 made up the largest group in its study of deaths between 2009 and 2015 in domestic mass shootings: 42%. Children’s exposure to gun violence is permanently damaging, if not deadly. In some cases, the abuser deliberately killed the kids but spared the woman. “There’s nothing worse you can do than killing her children.” 1

IPV gun violence is a family issue. A study reported in The New York Times, July 22, 2019, found that gun‐related domestic killings increased by 26% from 2010 to 2017. Two researchers analyzed 18 years of domestic violence fatalities from Michigan in which individuals connected to the primary victim were also killed. They found 111 victims including 27 new dating partners, 17 parents or stepparents, 10 friends, five siblings and two members of the extended family. Twenty‐six were children. 1

IPV gun violence is our society’s issue. Healthcare costs of domestic violence against women exceed $9

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 billion in today’s dollars. Domestic violence kills innocent bystanders. A 2014 study covering 16 states found about 20% were corollary victims.

A report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund documented what individual police departments have known for years: Domestic dispute calls led to more fatalities than any other kind of call. 1

Summary: Guns and domestic violence are a deadly combination, with devastating impacts not only for individuals but the nation as a whole. Laws that keep guns out of the hands of abusers save lives.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #9 1 12 Facts That Show How Guns Make Domestic Violence Even Deadlier (thetrace.org). 2 Every Stat ‐ EverytownResearch.org. 3 CAP‐DV‐AZ.pdf (americanprogress.org). 4 January 2019 | The Law Offices of John Phebus (crimeandinjurylaw.com).

Facts & Issues #10 ASSAULT WEAPONS & HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES

What is an assault weapon?

Although the issue is complex, in 2009 the Justice Department used this definition: “In general, assault weapons are semi‐automatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.” Everytown for Gun Safety adds that they are “designed to fire more rounds at a greater velocity than most other firearms, and when combined with high‐capacity magazines, they enable a shooter to fire a devastating number of rounds over a short period of time.” Giffords Law Center goes further and says that they are “specifically designed to kill humans quickly and effectively.”

Between 2009‐2018, mass shootings involving the use of an assault weapon resulted in 302 deaths and 653 injuries. 1

The deadliest mass shootings in recent history have one thing in common: the use of assault weapons. 2 · In 2017, the Las Vegas shooter killed 59 people and injured more than 500 in 10 minutes. · In 2019, the El Paso Walmart shooter killed 23 and injured 26 in 6 minutes. How many assault weapons are out there?

No one knows. According to the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, no registry of firearms may be kept by the federal government. The gun lobby considers this absolutely necessary so that there is no way the government will ever be able to confiscate weapons. In 2018, the NRA estimated that there were 8.5‐15 million assault weapons in the hands of private citizens. There is no way of verifying this estimate.

What is a high-capacity magazine?

High‐capacity magazines are ammunition feeding devices typically holding more than 10 rounds (bullets). They are designed to maximize casualties as the shooter does not need to stop and reload often. Shopping for a high‐capacity magazine one can easily find magazines that can handle 50‐100 rounds.

Using high‐capacity magazines:

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

· The Orlando Florida nightclub shooting in 2016 took just 3 minutes to kill 49 people and injure 50. · The Dayton, Ohio 2019 attack lasted 32 seconds and killed 9 people and wounded 17. · The 2011 shooting in Tucson killed 6 people and wounded 15. The shooter, armed with four 33 round magazines, stopped to reload an additional magazine. This pause enabled civilians to overtake him before he could fire more rounds. This incident took approximately one minute from the start of the shooting to the call for emergency help. 31 shell casings were found at the scene.

It is estimated that nearly 40% of guns used in serious crimes, including murders of law enforcement officers, are equipped with high‐capacity magazines.3

Why isn’t the Government Regulating Assault Weapons?

In 1994 Congress enacted an assault weapons ban that, due to the efforts on the part of the gun lobby, was required to expire in 2004. The act also prohibited the manufacture of large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Gun massacres decreased by 37% while the ban was in effect, and then shot up 183% during the decade following its expiration. 4

There are difficulties in regulating the production or ownership of these weapons, even though 69% of all Americans (including half of all Republicans) support a ban on assault weapons. And 71% also support a ban on high‐capacity magazines. 5

Why can’t we regulate these weapons? · the powerful gun lobby, · the definition of assault weapon is too loose, and · gun manufacturers adjust their weapon designs to avoid the legal definition

Gun manufacturers creatively get around definitions in order to supply weapons with different definitions but the same intent. For example, a “bump stock,” which essentially allows a shooter to fire in rapid succession with the squeeze of the trigger, is now banned by the Federal government as of March 2019. And now a new device, called a “binary trigger,” has been developed that enables the shooter to fire a round with the pull of the trigger and fire another round as the trigger is released.

There are no laws to prohibit this.

How easy is it to get an assault weapon or high-capacity magazine?

It is easy to purchase assault weapons in all but six states and D.C., and for high‐capacity magazines in all but seven states and D.C. (Washington Post article “How strictly are guns regulated where you live?” 2/20/18). In Arizona it is easy to purchase either one through a licensed gun dealer with a background check, or through an unlicensed source with no background check.

In Arizona an 18‐year‐old can legally buy an assault weapon, although he/she is not deemed old enough to purchase a handgun. This is based on the definition of the weapon.

If you find any of this disturbing, you are not alone.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #10 1 Mass Shootings in America 2009‐2019 (everytownresearch.org). 2 What the deadliest mass shootings have in common: Assault rifles ‐ Axios

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

3 Large Capacity Magazines, 2019, by Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 4 Rampage Nation, by Louis Klarevas, PhD, Boston University, 2019. Note: mass shootings here is defined as 6 or more killed. Also reference Diane Feinstein Senate Judiciary Committee presentation 4/24/19 for these figures. 5 Stricter gun laws have gained support in U.S. since 2017 | Pew Research Center

Facts & Issues #11

A Brief History of the Second Amendment: Politics of Guns in America

On March 1, 1792, Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, announced that the states had ratified the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, better known as the Bill of Rights. The primary author of our Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment was James Madison, a future President and one of the country’s “Founding Fathers.” He is often referred to as the “Father of our Constitution.”

Of those first Constitutional Amendments, perhaps the least controversial then but the most controversial now is the Second Amendment. It reads:

A WELL REGULATED MILITIA[,] BEING NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE, THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS[,] SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.1

This brief history will focus in particular on: · the Amendment’s origins and the militias it was created to protect in the late 18th century; · its coexistence and compatibility with gun‐control laws throughout history, even in the Wild West of the 19th century; · the NRA’s sloganization of “the right to bear arms” in the late 20th century, which upended Americans’ perceptions of the Amendment; and · Supreme Court interpretations of the Amendment, which shifted radically in the 21st century.2

Why was the Second Amendment created?

The Amendment’s key goal in the 18th century was to protect and strengthen the rights of state militias, which had played a crucial role in winning the Revolutionary War. Following that conflict and the departure of British troops in 1783, there was considerable public concern that a new centralized government might raise an army and crush the state militias.3 That fear, and the belief that militias were preferable to a national army like the one the colonists had just defeated, is stated clearly in the records of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Yet the Constitution itself did not address these concerns.

Instead, the newly formed House of Representatives held a public debate in 1789, one year after the Constitution’s ratification, on a slate of Amendments designed to placate anti‐federalists. One stated purpose of the forum was to strengthen the militias and calm citizens’ fears about the creation of a national army. At this gathering, which gave birth to the Second Amendment, there was no reported discussion of the private right to bear arms for self‐defense, hunting, or any purpose other than joining the militia. The subsequent Senate debate was held in private and the Amendment was reworded to its final form.

What were these militias that the Second Amendment was created to protect?

The militias that the Framers sought to protect in the Second Amendment had been in existence from the

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 earliest colonial days for the common defense and to fight Indians and the French. Every able‐bodied white male, starting at age 16, was enrolled for life in his state militia. Initially, non‐whites participated, but they were later barred from bearing arms by most colonies, except in times of war and siege. Each militia member was required to own and bring his own musket or other military weapon. There were a few exceptions for members of essential professions, depending on the laws of each colony. Some wealthier colonists paid others to serve in their place. The militia men mustered and drilled regularly for a short time and were expected to respond to the colonial governor in times of emergency. The militia system officially vanished when Congress passed the Dick Militia Act of 1903 creating what we now know as the National Guard. A standing national army that was so feared following the Revolution was created during World War I. It is the United States Army.

The 19th and Early 20th Centuries: Before All the Controversy

Following its ratification, the Second Amendment attracted little attention for the better part of two centuries. At this time, most Americans, if they thought about the Amendment at all, continued to see it as an affirmation of militia rights having no direct bearing on either private gun ownership or on laws regulating civilian firearms.

Both guns and gun control laws were already plentiful in colonial America and remained so after the Second Amendment was passed. Citizens understood that these firearm safety regulations were not what the Second Amendment prohibited. Instead, the Framers were responding in the Second Amendment to the British Army’s seizures of American firearms and gunpowder during Revolutionary times for the purpose of weakening the militias. Even after the Amendment’s ratification, gun control laws rose up wherever firearms were present, without being deemed unconstitutional or an impediment to responsible gun use. As the country expanded westward, the ownership of firearms increased due to the need for personal protection and to hunt and kill for food. Contrary to what we have seen in countless Hollywood Westerns, however, the Wild West had extensive gun control and little gun violence. Historical pioneer publications show Old West leaders and cattlemen associations advocating for firearm controls. One thing many frontier towns such as Deadwood, Abilene, Dodge City, and Tombstone had in common was strict gun control laws. Visitors had to check their firearms when they came to town, and residents were required to leave their guns at home. According to UCLA law professor Adam Winkler,

Tombstone had much more restrictive laws on carrying guns in public in the 1880s than it has [now] … Today, you're allowed to carry a gun without a license or permit on Tombstone streets. Back in the 1880s, you weren't.4

The Southern states also had some of the earliest and most restrictive gun laws in the country. The Ku Klux Klan began as a gun control organization when it sought to confiscate the guns Blacks had acquired during the Civil War. Later, with the onset of Prohibition and the rise of gangsterism, the first FEDERAL restrictions were passed in the 1930s.

On the legal front, little attention was paid to the Amendment until the late 19th century, but four separate claims of Second Amendment violations reached the Court between 1875 and 1940. In all four of these cases the justices declined to rule that the Second Amendment grants or protects individual civilian gun rights and/or those of private militias, but the grounds for the decisions varied. In the first three cases the justices deferred to the states’ power to regulate firearms, citing a lack of federal jurisdiction and the absence of a constitutional issue. Two of the rulings, including United States v. Miller (1939), cited the Amendment’s militia clause, or the lack of any connection to lawful militia service in the cases, as a

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 determining factor in their decisions.

*In U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876),5 the Supreme Court’s first case involving a potential Second Amendment violation, the justices acknowledged a basic right to bear arms for lawful purposes, but ruled that it was not a constitutional right deriving from the Second Amendment but instead a matter for state and local authorities to regulate. With this decision, the justices overturned the convictions on federal charges of a white militia that had disarmed and killed an assembly of armed freedmen in Colfax, LA, during Reconstruction. By concluding that the Bill of Rights only restricts federal powers, as opposed to those of private actors and state or local governments, the Supreme Court opened the doors to many years of racially motivated civil rights abuses – including voter suppression, the disarming of black citizens, and activities of the KKK – in the name of states’ rights.

*In Presser v. Illinois (1886),6 involving an armed labor rights parade in the streets of Chicago, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment does not protect the gun rights of unauthorized militias or their members, or prevent states from regulating them, unless they are organized under the military or militia laws of the states or federal government. A second caveat was that firearms restrictions, while legal in the Presser case, cannot be so extreme as to impede the formation of a state or national militia should the need arise. Individual rights supporters attempted to use this caveat to bolster their own position in Quilici v. Morton Grove (1982), but their arguments, described as “border[ing] on the frivolous” by the U.S. Court of Appeals of the 7th Circuit, were unsuccessful.

*In Miller v. Texas (1894),7 a man convicted of killing a policeman in a shoot‐out claimed that a Texas law forbidding him to carry firearms violated his Second Amendment rights; but the Court dismissed the appeal, citing procedural irregularities and contending that a Federal question was not properly presented in the case records. They also noted that the Second Amendment was a matter of settled law and did not prohibit State gun restrictions. The plaintiff had attempted to address this issue by incorporating the Second Amendment into the Fourteenth Amendment as one of the “privileges and immunities of citizenship” that no state can abridge; but the Court declined to rule on this point.

*United States v. Miller (1939),8 which challenged the National Firearms Act of 1934, was the most direct examination of the Second Amendment since its ratification. At issue was a bank robber convicted of criminally transporting an unregistered sawed‐off shotgun across state lines. The Court ruled that the NFA was not an invasion of the reserved powers of the states, and that a sawed‐off shotgun was not suitable for militia use and thus not protected by the Second Amendment. Despite the ruling, which for the first time upheld the constitutionality of federal firearms regulations, gun rights advocates found support for their own position in the Court’s reaffirmation of a militia system in which all men own guns.

The Late 20th Century to the Present: Rise of the NRA and District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

Following the Civil Rights movement, anti‐war protests, and assassinations of the turbulent 1960s, American attitudes toward guns and the Second Amendment began to shift. In response to the era’s violence, the Gun Control Act of 1968 banned mail order purchases of shotguns and rifles. Even though the rifle used to assassinate President Kennedy was purchased through the mail, this law unleashed an escalating backlash among gun owners that would eventually radicalize the NRA. Founded in 1871 as a sedate governing body for the sport of shooting, the NRA had done little to oppose the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1938, or the Gun Control Act of 1968. But in the late 1970s, its moderate leaders were ousted by gun rights activists, who invoked the Second Amendment as their credo and launched one of the most powerful lobbying campaigns in history to expand gun sales and resist firearm regulations. By editing out the

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 clause about militias and sloganizing the “right to bear arms,” the NRA also upended America’s understanding of the Second Amendment. By 2008, 73% of Americans believed the Second Amendment protected individual gun ownership rather than militias.9 That same year the Supreme Court would agree.

In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008),10 a landmark case involving a Washington, D.C., ban on handguns, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the second half of the Amendment can be read as a stand‐alone clause that protects the individual right to keep and bear arms. In his majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia explained that the Court’s decision was based on an originalist approach. This type of constitutional originalism strives to reconstruct the Amendment’s meaning, or the way it would have been understood at the time it was written, but not necessarily the Framers’ intentions. As written, the ruling does not prohibit reasonable gun control laws: “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited,” wrote Justice Scalia.

While the decision in District of Columbia v. Heller applied only to federal firearms restrictions, McDonald v. Chicago (2010) confirmed that this ruling applies to the states as well under the due process guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, a Chicago ban on handguns designed to address local violence was overturned on the grounds that it violated the individual Second Amendment right to possess arms for self‐defense.11 The Supreme Court declined to hear several additional Second Amendment cases during the subsequent decade, including ten in 2020, leaving in place lower court decisions upholding gun control.12 These cases raised such questions as “what types of firearms the Constitution protects and how and whether the right extends outside the home.”13 Conservative justices such as Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh have expressed frustration at the Court’s reluctance to take up these cases, indicating they would welcome new Second Amendment challenges aimed at loosening restrictions on firearms.14

In Conclusion

Both judicial and popular interpretations of the Second Amendment have evolved radically over the years. Under the influence of the NRA, James Madison’s Amendment protecting state militias, written in the 18th century, has been reinterpreted by modern Supreme Court justices as an affirmation of individual gun rights. Numerous legal scholars, linguists, and historians have taken issue with this ruling, arguing that it is inconsistent with what the Founding Fathers intended. However, not only is District of Columbia v. Heller the current law of the land, but, even if this were not the case, arguably a presumptive right to bear arms for self‐defense, and under lawful and reasonable circumstances, existed in Common Law well before the Constitution was written.15

Gun rights activists often cite the Second Amendment as a mark of American exceptionalism—as a covenant with our Founding Fathers that enshrines our right to bear arms. It is true that the U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that include the right to keep and bear arms in their constitutions.16 Moreover, the romanticized history of guns in the United States, viewed by many as a defining trait of our culture, sets us apart from other countries—as does our gun violence. History shows that gun rights and gun safety laws can coexist. In recognition of this fact, Justice Scalia noted in District of Columbia v. Heller that the right to bear arms is not unlimited, and the Supreme Court’s reluctance to take up new Second Amendment cases, which seek to loosen current firearms restrictions despite ever‐increasing gun violence in our country, speaks to this point.17 Our challenge for the future is how to balance gun ownership for sport and self‐defense with gun safety measures in a reasonable, humane, and practical way.

End Notes for Facts & Issues #11 1 Two of the commas are in brackets because they are not present in all versions, but they do appear in the

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 official text displayed in the National Archives. See The ONE COMMA 2nd Amendment | John Jacob H's RKBA Commentary (wordpress.com). 2 Books utilized in this study include Michael Waldman, The Second Amendment: A Biography (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014) and Adam Winkler, Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America (New York: W. W. Norton, 2011). 3 This fear of centralized governance following years of monarchical oppression explains the States’ delay in forming a federal government. Until March 1789, the effective start date of the new Constitution, the 13 States operated under the Articles of Confederation, an earlier U.S. Constitution which was drafted in 1777 and fully ratified in 1781. 4 Quoted by Matt Jancer, “Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West,” Smithsonian Magazine, 5 February 2018, Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West | History | Smithsonian Magazine. 5 United States v. Cruikshank :: 92 U.S. 542 (1875) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. 6 Presser v. Illinois :: 116 U.S. 252 (1886) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. 7 Supreme Court: Table Of Contents | Supreme Court | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu). 8 United States v. Miller :: 307 U.S. 174 (1939) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. 9 Public Believes Americans Have Right to Own Guns (gallup.com). 10 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HELLER (cornell.edu). 11 McDonald v. Chicago :: 561 U.S. 742 (2010) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. 12 The Court had agreed to rule in 2020 on a New York City regulation that blocked the removal of handguns from the address listed on the license except nearby small arms ranges and shooting clubs. But the appeal (New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. the City of New York), which contended owners should have to right to transport guns to second homes for self‐defense, and to competitions in upstate NY or neighboring cities, was dismissed when New York City changed its law: Supreme Court avoids new Second Amendment ruling, dealing blow to gun rights advocates ‐ CNN Politics. 13 Jacob Charles, executive director a the Duke Center for Firearms Law, quoted by Jaime Ehrlich, “Supreme Court again declines to take up Second Amendment Cases,” 15 June 2020, Supreme Court again declines to take up Second Amendment cases ‐ CNN Politics. 14 Supreme Court again declines to take up Second Amendment cases ‐ CNN Politics. 15 See U.S. v. Cruikshank: "[B]earing arms for a lawful purpose" … is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.” United States v. Cruikshank :: 92 U.S. 542 (1875) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. 16 The other two are Mexico and Guatemala. See Only 3 countries protect the right to bear arms in their constitutions (businessinsider.com). 17 For data on recent increases in gun‐related deaths, see National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 68, Number 9 June 24, 2019 Deaths: Final Data for 2017 (cdc.gov) , pp. 12, 33.

ADDENDUM E

Gun Safety Study Resources

GUN SAFETY STUDY RESOURCES 1. Gun Safety Action Guide—LWV‐ St. Petersburg‐2017 a. LWVSPA’s Gun Safety Action Team is currently inactive but between 2017‐2020 conducted evidence‐ based research and developed an education campaign and more than 20 fact sheets to provide the facts to take action on this issue. Topics included are: Impact of Gun Violence, Legislative

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Solutions, Best Practices in Prevention, and Local Gun Violence Data and Finding; St. Petersburg & Pinellas Website: Gun Safety Action Guide ‐ Know the Facts on Top Gun Safety Issues (lwvspa.org) 2. Position on Gun Safety—LWVUS‐1990‐1998 a. Statement of Position on Gun Control, as Adopted by 1990 Convention and amended by the 1994 and 1998 Conventions. This document includes the League's history on gun safety 3. These 2 Laws Are Tied to Lower Gun Homicide Rates—2016 a. This article concludes that keeping guns out of hands of high‐risk individuals has the greatest impact. The two laws that address this are Background Checks and Shall Issue laws. Website & Document: These 2 Laws Are Tied to Lower Gun Homicide Rates | Evidence for Action 4. How Strictly Are Guns Regulated Where You Live? —2018 a. Reporters looked at 7 laws to determine existing regulations in 50 states. They distilled this down to which laws of these 7 each state had in place. Arizona came in with 2 laws: Prohibitions for High‐Risk Individuals and Prohibitions for Individuals with Domestic Violence Convictions. Website & Document: A guide to how strictly guns are regulated in every state ‐ Washington Post 5. That Assault Weapon Ban? It Really Did Work—New York Times‐2019 a. The NRA states that the ban on assault weapons from 1994 to 2004 made no difference. The reporters found that public mass shootings with assault weapons dropped during that decade and that in the 15 years since the ban ended, the trajectory of gun massacres has been sharply upward. Document: Since the ban was lifted in 2004, gun massacres involving military‐style weapons are way up. 6. Guns in America Can We Have a Better Gun Debate? —2019 a. This film is from a University of Arizona course through the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences’ Professor Jennifer Carlson, one of the leading experts in U.S. gun politics. The course traced the changes in gun culture and gun law in recent decades. She examined the relationship between gun rights and gun rules, between crime and self‐defense, and between the past and present politics of guns. 7. When Active‐Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect—New York Times, 2019 a. Nearly every American public school now conducts lockdown drills, but methods vary widely and now include drills that child trauma experts say do little more than terrify already anxious children. Website: When Active‐Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect ‐ The New York Times 8. ‘You Understand That You Might Have to Shoot A Student?’—Washington Post,2019 a. Some school districts have chosen to arm staff members, putting guns in the hands of teachers to protect schools from guns in the hands of students. Website: ‘You understand that you might have to shoot a student?’ ‐ The Washington Post

9. Arizona Laws‐Weapons & Explosives— (chapter 31) a. Arizona State Legislative website, chapter 31, covers the revised laws for Weapons and Explosives Website: Arizona Revised Statutes (azleg.gov) 10. 2020 Democrats, in Las Vegas, Call for Sweeping Gun Control—New York Times, 2019 a. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates on Wednesday expressed their collective support for sweeping new gun control measures in a forum Website: 2020 Democrats, in Las Vegas, Call for Sweeping Gun Control ‐ The New York Times 11. ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety—2019 a. From 2015 through 2019, Arizona saw more than 8,500 homicides and suicides. The ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety put out three publications: 2020 Gun Symposium, Suicides in Arizona, and Suicides Involving Veterans. Website: Arizona Violent Death Reporting System | ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety 12. We’re the Largest Gun Violence Prevention Organization in America —Everytown for Gun Safety

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

a. Everytown is a movement of nearly 6 million mayors, teachers, survivors, gun owners, students, and everyday Americans. This organization presents evidence‐based solutions to end gun violence. Website: About Everytown for Gun Safety | Everytown 13. Arizona Gun Laws—GunsTo Carry a. A list of right‐to‐carry laws Arizona has enacted and not enacted. Arizona gun laws operate at the state level and are very permissive. They allow any person who is at least 18 years old to open carry, and 21 years old or over to conceal carry a firearm without a permit. Arizona was the second state after Alaska to enact "Constitutional Carry" laws. They still maintain a “Shall Issue” policy for reciprocity reasons. Permits are issued to residents and non‐residents with one of the requirements being that a firearms safety course must be passed. Website: Arizona Gun Laws | GunsTo Carry Guide 14. Gun Laws in Arizona—Wikipedia a. A summary of gun laws Arizona has enacted and not enacted. Website: Gun laws in Arizona ‐ Wikipedia 15. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S.—Pew Research Center, 2019 a. Based on 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Covers gun related deaths, murders and suicides. How this data has changed over time to 2017.States with highest and lowest death rates; Arizona ranked right next to highest. Data compared to other countries, U.S. ranking 20th in world. Mass shootings. Type of firearms used in gun murders. Website: Gun deaths in the U.S.: 10 key questions answered | Pew Research Center 16. Arizona Gun Laws 101—ASU, 2019 a. AZ gun history timeline. Literature on history of NRA. Overview of gun laws in U.S. Overview of gun laws in AZ. Overview of gun violence in AZ; homicides and suicides. Legal results of these deaths. Policy initiatives to reduce gun violence in U.S. and proposed gun legislation in AZ. Website: Arizona‐Gun‐Laws‐101‐4.19.pdf (azfgs.com) 17. Statistics—Giffords Law Center a. Gun violence exacts an enormous toll on American society—claiming tens of thousands of lives each year. Statistics lay out the devastating scope of this uniquely American crisis. Website: Statistics | Giffords 18. Gun Violence Archive re Mass Shootings—Gun Violence Archive, 2021 a. The Gun Violence Archive is an online archive of gun violence incidents collected from over 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily in an effort to provide near‐real time data about the results of gun violence. GVA is an independent data collection and research group with no affiliation with any advocacy organization. Website: Gun Violence Archive 19. Expert: There’s No Evidence That the Fortune Being Spent to ‘Harden’ Schools Against Shooters Will Work. But Here’s What Will. —Washington Post, 2019 a. According to John S. Carlson, professor of school psychology at Michigan State University, what’s actually needed is more funding for mental health services in communities and schools to help heed and address warning signs before someone becomes violent. Website: Expert: There’s no evidence that the fortune being spent to ‘harden’ schools against shooters will work ‐‐ but here’s what will ‐ The Washington Post 20. Report on Mass Killings and Gun Violence—VA State Crime Commission, 2019 a. Staff determined that inconclusive evidence exists to develop recommendations. While staff researched a wide variety of policies and many other matters related to gun violence, the overall findings from the research were often insufficient, mixed, contradictory, or based on limited methodology Website: VSCC‐FINAL‐REPORT‐Mass‐Killings‐and‐Gun‐Violence.pdf (virginiamercury.com) 21. Opinion: There Is No Single Profile of a Mass Shooter. Our Data Show There Are Five Types. —LA

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Times, 2019 a. K‐12 school shooter: The vast majority of mass shooters are white male students or former students of school. College and university shooter: Is usually non‐white, has a history of violence or childhood trauma, and is suicidal. Workplace shooter: Usually male and employee or former employee. Church shooter: Usually white male and suicidal. Retail establishment shooter: Is usually white male with no connection to business. Website: Santa Clarita shooting: There are five types of mass killers ‐ Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) 22. America's Gun Culture in Charts—BBC, 2019 a. Support for gun control over the protection of gun rights in America is highest among 18 to 29‐year‐ olds. Pew found that one third of over‐50s said they owned a gun vs young adults at about 28%.White men are especially likely to own a gun. Gun ownership in the U.S. is far high than any other country by over 50%. Website: America's gun culture in charts ‐ BBC News 23. Guns Guns Guns Guns—Arizona Legislative Alert, 2019 a. Table of effectiveness of gun laws and public support for gun control proposals. 24. Yavapai County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. 2019 a. Yavapai County Board of Supervisors announced decision to table a proclamation declaring Yavapai County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. Document: 25. Congressional Deal Could Fund Gun Violence Research for First Time Since 1990s—Washington Post, 2019 a. The deal — still pending final approval as congressional negotiations continue over a must‐pass, end‐of‐ year spending bill — would send $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence, Website & Document: Congressional deal could fund gun violence research for first time since 1990s ‐ The Washington Post 26. Mayor Romero Creates Task Force on Gun Violence—NPR, 2020 a. Tucson mayor created a task force on gun safety and violence prevention. She said the task force will be made up of community members representing many different groups. Pima County has the highest number of gun violence deaths per 100,000 residents among Arizona's three most populous counties. Website : Mayor Romero creates task force on gun violence ‐ AZPM 27. US Gun Debate: Four Dates that Explain How We Got Here—BBC, 2019 a. Four dates in U.S. history that were significant to U.S. gun culture. Second Amendment, 1791. The founding of the NRA, 1871. Supreme Court interpretation to individuals' rights to own a gun, 2008. Parkland, Florida, school shooting and the resulting student voices, 2018. Website: US gun debate: Four dates that explain how we got here ‐ BBC News 28. Annual Gun Law Scorecard—Giffords Law Center, 2020 a. Year after year, the evidence shows that gun laws save lives in states with the courage to enact them. States are rated in a table. Website: Gun Law Scorecard (giffords.org) 29. Tucson Police Chief Calls for Gun Background Checks and Red Flag Laws—Washington Post, 2020 a. Police chief questions whether people need to be carrying high‐capacity weapons. Chief of Police says arming teachers doesn't make sense. Shows NRA political contributions to AZ lawmakers. Website: Tucson Police Chief Calls for Gun Background Checks and Red Flag Laws – Blog for Arizona 30. The Deadliest Mass Shootings in Modern U.S. History—Axios, 2020 a. A listing of 22 mass shootings dating back to 1949 Website: America's 22 deadliest modern mass shootings ‐ Axios 31. How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot to the Head, and Outsmarted the NRA—Vanity Fair, 2020

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League of Women Voters of Arizona 1934 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, #277, Phoenix, Arizona 85016

a. Gabby Gifford is redefining America's relationship with guns through the group she cofounder with husband Senator Mark Kelly, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, a gun safety advocacy group. Website: How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot to the Head, and Outsmarted the NRA | Vanity Fair 32. America's Passion for Guns: Ownership and Violence by the Numbers Gun Violence Exacts—The Guardian, 2017 a. The US is home to 88 guns for every 100 people and sees mass shootings more than 11 times as often as any other developed country. Statistic re gun ownership, deaths, hospital costs and detailed table of profiles of gun owners. Website: America's passion for guns: ownership and violence by the numbers | US news | The Guardian 33. Guns Per Capita 2021—World Population Review, 2021 According to the Small Arms Survey of 2017, the United States had a population size of around 326,474,000 people. There were about 393 million firearms in the United States, meaning that there were far more guns than there are people. Data: Guns by state. Arizona ranks 7th in the U.S. in gun ownership. Website: Guns Per Capita 2020 (worldpopulationreview.com) 34. ‘How Did We Not Know?’ Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic—New York Times, 2020 a. According to national health statistics, 24,432 Americans used guns to kill themselves in 2018, up from 19,392 in 2010. People who kill themselves in this way are usually those with ready access to firearms Website: ‘How Did We Not Know?’ Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic ‐ The New York Times (nytimes.com)

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