Two Arizona lawmakers have asked Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate whether Sedona is violating state law with an ordinance restricting firearms.
Republican Reps. Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley) and Selina Bliss (R-Prescott) filed a complaint against the city on Monday.
There is a section of state law which allows municipalities to limit the “discharge” of firearms in “parks and preserves,” but the Sedona ordinance goes beyond that. The ordinance in question makes it illegal to carry a gun into parks, trails or open space areas without a permit.
Nguyen says that’s far too broad.
“There's a thing such as a state law, and you shouldn't go beyond that, and so, I expect city council, the mayor and everybody involved to understand state law and stay away from it,” Nguyen said.
A spokesperson for the city of Sedona did not respond to a request for comment.
Nguyen wrote a letter to the City Council on October 9, warning that the ordinance appears to violate state law. He said Monday that the city never responded.
“If the city repeals its unlawful ordinance here, we urge you to take no further action and conclude that your investigation is moot,” Bliss and Nguyen wrote in their request to Mayes. “If you determine that the ordinance may violate state law, please pursue a special action in the Arizona Supreme Court for judicial resolution of this important matter of statewide concern.”
The Attorney General’s Office will issue a report within 30 days.
If the report says Sedona did violate state law, the city will have 30 days to correct the problem, or the state will withhold funds.
Nguyen and Bliss filed a complaint against Phoenix last year over a different firearms ordinance and were successful in getting it repealed.