Arizona 2022 2022 Regular Session

Arizona Senate Bill SB1125 Comm Sub / Analysis

Filed 01/25/2022

                    Assigned to JUD 	FOR COMMITTEE 
 
 
 
 
ARIZONA STATE SENATE 
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session 
 
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1125 
 
firearms and equipment; regulation 
Purpose 
Declares unlawful and unenforceable any retroactive law that regulates firearms and 
equipment, including mandatory buyback and registration laws or laws that require additional or 
new taxes on firearms or equipment that were purchased under a previous law. 
Background 
The Arizona Constitution grants an individual citizen the right to bear arms in defense of 
the individual or the state. An individual or corporation is not authorized to organize, maintain or 
employ an armed body of men (Ariz. Const. art. 2 § 26). 
Prohibited possessor is any person who: 1) has been found to constitute a danger to self or 
others or to have a persistent or acute disability, and whose right to possess a firearm has not been 
restored; 2) has been convicted of a felony or who has been adjudicated delinquent for a felony 
and whose right to possess has not been restored; 3) is at the time of possession serving a term of 
imprisonment in any correctional facility or serving a term of probation for specified offenses; 4) 
is an undocumented immigrant traveling with or without documentation in Arizona for business 
or pleasure or who is studying in Arizona with foreign residence abroad, with certain exceptions; 
5) has been found incompetent pursuant to the Arizona rules of criminal procedure; and 6) is found 
guilty except insane (A.R.S. § 13-3101). 
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this 
legislation. 
Provisions 
1. States that a retroactive law regulating firearms and equipment is unlawful and unenforceable, 
including mandatory buyback or registration laws or a law that requires an additional or new 
tax on firearms and equipment purchased under a previous law that required only a onetime 
tax. 
2. States that, pursuant to the Arizona Constitution, a person who is lawfully entitled to retain 
possession of firearms and equipment may possess firearms and equipment and may use or 
transport firearms and equipment in Arizona for any lawful purpose.  
3. States that this legislation does not allow a prohibited possessor to regain the right to possess 
a firearm.   FACT SHEET 
S.B. 1125 
Page 2 
 
 
4. Defines firearms and equipment as: 
a) a semiautomatic handgun or revolver that is lawfully possessed by a citizen of Arizona or 
that is on the retail market, including a semiautomatic handgun that is configured with any 
magazine capacity or that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is authorized by any 
law enforcement agency in Arizona and with any variety of firearm-mounted equipment, 
including a threaded barrel, flash-hiding device, sound-dampening device, detachable 
magazine, aiming system, trigger system and a light, that is in use by the U.S. Armed 
Forces or that is authorized by a law enforcement agency of Arizona;  
b) a semiautomatic shotgun, pump-action shotgun, lever-action shotgun or single-shot 
shotgun that is in any lawful barrel length and that is lawfully possessed by a citizen of 
Arizona, that is on the retail market or that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is 
authorized by any law enforcement agency in Arizona, that is configured with any 
magazine type or magazine capacity that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is 
authorized by any law enforcement agency in Arizona and that is configured with any 
variety of firearm-mounted equipment, including a threaded barrel, foregrips, detachable 
magazine, bayonet lug, bayonet, collapsible or folding stock, carrying sling, aiming system, 
trigger system and a light, that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is authorized by 
a law enforcement agency in Arizona; 
c) a semiautomatic rifle that is in any lawful barrel length and that is lawfully possessed by a 
citizen of Arizona, that is on the retail market or is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that 
is authorized by any law enforcement agency in Arizona, that is configured with any 
magazine capacity that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is authorized by any law 
enforcement agency in Arizona and that is configured with any variety of firearm-mounted 
equipment, including a threaded barrel, flash-hiding device, sound-dampening device, 
pistol grips, vertical foregrips, detachable magazine, bayonet lug, bayonet, collapsible or 
folding stock, carrying sling, aiming system, trigger system and a light, that is in use by the 
U.S. Armed Forces or that is authorized by a law enforcement agency in Arizona;  
d) any other small arms weapons system, ammunition, accessory or equipment and any 
component that is used to assemble or reload ammunition, or a cartridge or shell, 
component, part, tool or device that is used for manufacturing ammunition or the 
ammunition's components and that is lawfully possessed by a citizen of Arizona, that is on 
the retail market or that is in use by the U.S. Armed Forces or that is authorized for use by 
a law enforcement agency in Arizona; and 
e) any capacity magazine or ammunition-feeding device and any caliber or gauge or 
ammunition that is compatible with any aforementioned firearms including sufficient 
quantities of ammunition necessary to maintain a high degree of proficiency of arms and 
to maintain a ready supply of ammunition. 
5. Becomes effective on the general effective date.  
Prepared by Senate Research 
January 25, 2022 
ZD/sr