Go Figure…
The city of Phoenix wants to donate hundreds of unclaimed firearms to the National Police of Ukraine, but two Republican state representatives say the city’s plan is illegal and have filed a complaint that will force Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate.
Rep. Quang Nguyen, of Prescott Valley, and Rep. Selina Bliss, of Prescott, wrote a letter to the Phoenix City Council July 3, asking it to rescind its ordinance, approved in late June, to transfer the firearms.
After the city made it clear that Phoenix planned to move forward with the arms transfer, Nguyen and Bliss on Aug. 21 wrote to Mayes, a Democrat, asking her to investigate whether the ordinance violated the state law governing the disposal of unclaimed firearms.
“State law allows unclaimed firearms to be sold to authorized businesses or traded among law enforcement agencies for ammunition, weapons, equipment or other materials to be exclusively used for law enforcement purposes,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Mayes.
The Republicans are challenging Phoenix’s action using what’s known as an SB1487 complaint, named after a 2016 law that permits any legislator to ask the attorney general to review an action by any municipality or county if they believe that action violates state law.
If the AG’s investigation concludes that the local ordinance violates state law, the municipality must then forfeit all of the income tax money the state shares with cities and towns. Then the municipality is faced with a choice: repeal or amend the ordinance to comply with state law or take the fight to the Arizona Supreme Court, after which there is no appeal.
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GOP lawmakers say Phoenix is breaking state law over firearm donation to Ukraine
