Arizonans are watching closely to see if Rep. Ciscomani sides with Arizona families or greedy gun industry CEOs.
GIFFORDS spokesperson Christyna Thompson.
Contributed Article/Courtesy Giffords
WASHINGTON D.C. — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released a statement today as the House of Representatives begins consideration of the Senate-passed “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which aims to tear away 100-year-old safeguards on dangerous gun silencers and short-barreled firearms. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) voted in support of a similar provision in May.
For nearly a century, these hazardous weapons have been regulated through the National Firearms Act (NFA), which requires a thorough background check, tax, and registration. By eliminating the tax in this bill, Republicans themselves say they are attempting to gut the NFA’s safeguards that have kept silencers and short-barreled firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
“The House will soon decide whether to put more gun silencers and sawed-off shotguns on Arizona streets, and all eyes are on Rep. Ciscomani,” said GIFFORDS spokesperson Christyna Thompson. “The gun lobby freely admits this bill is the first step in their plan to remove all safeguards keeping these dangerous firearms away from criminals. Passing this bill endangers law enforcement and the communities they risk their lives to protect—and Republicans know it. Arizonans are watching closely to see if Rep. Ciscomani sides with Arizona families or greedy gun industry CEOs.”
The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence has warned “the widespread and uncontrolled distribution of silencers to an unwary civilian population, combined with the sheer number of firearms freely available in America, is a step in the wrong direction and will result in tragedy, including violence directed at police officers that will be difficult or impossible to investigate effectively.”
Until now, silencers and short-barreled firearms other than handguns have rarely been used in crimes because current law has successfully stopped them from falling into the wrong hands. Because of these protections, the shooters in the 2022 Tops Friendly Market massacre in Buffalo, New York, and the 2023 shooting in Lewiston, Maine, were unable to access silencers. A silencer was used in a 2019 Virginia Beach mass shooting that killed 12 innocent people, slowing law enforcement and the crowd’s ability to react to gunfire. This provision could ultimately make it easier for violent criminals to escape or secretly bring dangerous guns into crowded areas, putting both law enforcement and civilians at greater risk.
