Gov. Doug Ducey calls California governor’s comments on Arizona gun law ‘thoughtless’
Dec 5, 2015, 7:17 PM | Updated: Dec 7, 2015, 8:44 am
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he will “ignore” California Gov. Jerry Brown’s criticism of the gun laws in the Grand Canyon State.
In wake of the San Bernandino shooting that killed 14 on Wednesday, Brown told the Sacramento Bee that weapons laws in states like Arizona and Nevada “are wide open” and a back door for terrorists.
Ducey released a statement in response, saying the comments from Brown were “incredibly thoughtless.”
“All of Arizona mourns for the victims in California,” Ducey wrote. “To politicize a tragedy of this magnitude and use it as an opportunity to attack our state is out of bounds. Not only will we be ignoring Gov. Brown’s advice, but I call on him to retract his incredibly thoughtless and ill-advised comments.”
The suspects involved in the mass shooting in California — Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 — used two assault rifles and two handguns in the massacre, according to federal officials. All were all purchased legally in the United States but two were altered to the point they were illegal in California, reports the Wall Street Journal.
“California has some of the toughest gun control laws of any state,” Brown told the Bee. “And Nevada and Arizona are wide open, so that’s a gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk.”
The couple, who were shot and killed by police following the shooting, had various explosives and more ammunition at their home.
Authorities found a dozen pipe bombs, 2,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 2,500 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition and hundreds of long rifle rounds in the couple’s rented home. Hundreds of tools that could be used to make improvised explosive devices were also found.
