A 7-year-old boy picks up a handgun during the 2022 National Rifle Association annual convention in Houston. Photo by Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Gun safety advocates are investing millions of dollars in Arizona and other battleground states, where they hope to convince voters to topple the state’s GOP legislative majority and elect candidates that will support stricter gun ownership laws.
Earlier this week, Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization that pushes gun safety legislation in statehouses across the country, announced a $3 million ad campaign to flip legislative control in Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Republicans have held a majority in Arizona since 1966. Democrats have unsuccessfully sought to upend that control in recent years. But with President Donald Trump facing low approval ratings going into the November midterms, progressive organizations are ramping up mobilization efforts in a bid to turn voter discontent into electoral change.
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Charlie Kelly, the senior political advisor for the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, said in an emailed statement that the goal is to target voters in competitive districts who haven’t made up their minds about who to back yet with messages about gun safety that might sway them towards candidates the organization has endorsed.
“Arizona Republicans control the state legislature by only three seats in the Senate and four in the House, and they’ve used that slim margin to block common-sense, popular gun safety bills year after year,” Kelly said. “But our own Moms Demand Action volunteers are running in some of Arizona’s most competitive races, where they could flip both chambers into Gun Sense Majorities. That’s why we’re running streaming and digital ads targeting persuadable Arizonans in those districts — highlighting what’s at risk if the legislature remains controlled by MAGA extremists.”
In Arizona, Everytown for Gun Safety launched two ads targeting Republicans in legislative districts in North Phoenix. Both ads highlight their opposition to gun safety legislation like background checks, a ban on assault rifles and red flag laws. For years, Democratic lawmakers have proposed bills to require firearm storage measures or background checks during firearm purchases, but Republicans, who choose which bills advance and which fail without ever being considered, have refused to grant them a hearing.
One ad appeals to voters in Legislative District 2, where Sen. Shawnna Bolick was narrowly reelected two years ago in the highly competitive district. Registered Republicans outnumber Democratic voters in the district, but unaffiliated voters outnumber Republican voters 47,197 to 45,751.
Moms Demand Action, a partner organization of Everytown for Gun Safety, has endorsed Democrat Amelia Gallitano, a doctor and former University of Arizona professor, to replace Bolick.
In an ad titled “Three Hours,” in reference to the statistic that a child dies by gun violence every three hours in the U.S., Bolick is accused of opposing or blocking gun safety legislation that could prevent gun violence from occurring.
“The leading cause of death for kids in America is gun violence, and politicians like Shawnna Bolick are doing nothing to stop it,” says the narrator as images of a grave, a schoolchair and a child appear on screen.
Bolick did not respond to a request for comment on the ad’s claims that she opposes gun safety legislation.
While Democrat-led gun safety bills were never offered a hearing and Bolick was unable to vote on them, she did support a bill run by Republicans to require schools to implement firearm safety lessons. The bill was criticized by public education and gun safety advocates alike, who said it was the wrong approach and that it risks introducing children to gun culture. The legislation passed the Arizona Senate but failed in the House of Representatives.
Gun safety advocates are also targeting Legislative District 27, where a Democratic candidate is hoping to flip at least one House seat. The district’s two seats in the state House of Representatives are currently held by two Republicans, Rep. Tony Rivero and Rep. Lisa Fink. An ad similarly criticizes Rivero and Fink for failing to support gun safety legislation and calls on voters to reject them in November.
“MAGA extremists in Phoenix had a choice. Stand with families and law enforcement, or the gun lobby,” says the narrator. “Guess which side Lisa Fink and Tony Rivero chose?”
Democrat Deborah Howard is running again this year after narrowly failing to unseat Rivero two years ago. The district leans red, but the number of unaffiliated voters isn’t far behind those who are registered as Republican — 46,988 to 49,530.
In a post on Facebook, Howard celebrated her endorsement from Moms Demand Action and vowed to advocate for “common-sense gun safety” legislation if elected in November.
“Every community deserves to feel safe,” she wrote. “That means taking practical steps that protect lives while respecting responsible gun ownership. I’ll bring that focus with me to every decision, because safety shouldn’t be political, it should be a priority.”
Fink and Rivero did not respond to requests for comment on their opposition or support for gun safety legislation.
A spokesperson for Everytown for Gun Safety noted that gun violence prevention policies are widely supported in Arizona, which could help tip the balance in favor of candidates who would back increased regulations on gun ownership. A 2024 poll found that 78% of Arizonans agree that background checks should be required during all gun sales and 70% said they believed gun owners should be required to properly store their firearms.
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Courtesy of Arizona Mirror
