1. Stronger Background Check Laws: Background checks are the foundation of any comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy. Current federal law does require a background check to be run through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) system whenever a person tries to buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer. And this system can work. Over 400 million sales to convicted criminals have been blocked since 1994 (~4% of attempted purchases).

The problem is that several loopholes mean people with dangerous histories can still get guns. Notice that the law only applies to sales by licensed gun dealers - it doesn’t apply to sales by unlicensed dealers selling firearms online or at gun shows. This means people with a criminal history can often still buy guns with no questions asked.

Also, although attempting to purchase a firearm as a convicted criminal is a crime, gun dealers are under no obligation to let local law enforcement know that a person prohibited from owning a guns is attempting to obtain one. This means they can walk away from the failed background check without consequences - free to arm themselves in other ways.

There is also a problem with what is known as the Charleston loophole. Under federal law, gun purchases may move forward by default after three business days – even if a background check has not been completed. Most (>90%) of the NICS background checks are completed in minutes. Those that take longer than three business days are more likely to be denied (4 times more likely). Often, the delays are due to missing court records or insufficient information. For example, during the period between 2006 and 2015, 30% of gun sale denials to buyers convicted of domestic violence crimes took longer than three days. That translates to about 2000 people/yr.

Finally, Arizona relies solely on federal background check laws. However, state and local prosecutors do not have the jurisdiction to enforce federal laws. A strong Arizona-based background check law would help keep guns out of the hands of convicted criminals.

2. Stronger Requirements for a Concealed Carry Weapons Permit: In Arizona, concealed carry of a firearm without a permit became legal in 2010. This same legislation also weakened the requirements to obtain a concealed weapons permit (CWP) for those individuals who still wanted one. Before 2010, 8 to 16 hours (depending on the year) of Department of Public Safety (DPS) approved instruction was required with a curriculum including weapons care, safe handling and storage of weapons, marksmanship, and legal and mental health issues related to using deadly force. Laws passed in 2010 and 2011 removed the requirement for the DPS training approval. Practically speaking, this means an online one-hour training course allows a person to qualify for a CWP permit in Arizona.

A person who obtains a CWP is required to pass a background check and pay a small fee. Once the CWP is in their hands, it is good for five years and provides the advantage of buying weapons without undergoing any further background checks. In addition, people with a CWP are allowed to carry firearms within 1000 feet of a school and into bars and restaurants. Returning to the training requirements prior to 2010 would better justify these benefits.

In addition to the minimal training requirements, if a person with an Arizona-based CWP is convicted of a crime, they are not required to relinquish their permit, which means they can continue to buy firearms without undergoing a background check that would reveal their crime. Bills introduced in the AZ legislature to close this loophole have yet to meet with success.

3. Secure Storage (or Child Access Prevention) Laws: Most gun owners understand the responsibility of owning a weapon that can be used for deadly force and will safely secure their weapon using a storage safe or a gun lock. Still, it has been estimated that ~4.5 million children in the United States live in a household with a loaded and unlocked firearm. Each year, children (less than 18 years) access an unsecured weapon and unintentionally shoot either themselves or someone else.

Perhaps even more relevant to Arizona, where 68% of gun deaths are due to firearm suicide, access to a gun increases the risk of death by suicide three-fold, and an alarming 1 in 5 teenagers report seriously considering a suicide attempt.

Currently, if a tragedy occurs due to an unsecured weapon, there are no consequences for the irresponsible gun owner. A law with serious penalties for allowing a child or criminal to access an unsecured weapon would serve as a reminder to gun owners to lock up their weapons and provide some justice for the victims.