Gov. Doug Ducey believes ‘red flag’ law could prevent Arizona mass shootings

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey wants to get proactive with gun control legislation and believes the implementation of a “red flag” law could prevent a mass shooting in the state.

Arizona currently doesn’t have a “red flag” law, which would allow law enforcement to temporarily take guns away from people who were deemed a danger to themselves or others by a judge.

“I think people are seeing that some action has to be taken at both the state level and the federal level,” Ducey told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac & Gaydos on Monday.

Ducey’s call for action comes less than two weeks after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, left more than 30 people dead.

The mother of the 21-year-old man arrested after killing 22 people and wounding another two dozen at a Walmart in El Paso contacted police weeks before the rampage out of concern that he owned a rifle. Nothing came of that warning.

Ducey believes a “red flag” law is right for Arizona because it would protect law-abiding citizens and Second Amendment rights and still allow for due process.

Ducey said the plan has been presented to the state legislature but hasn’t received the necessary support to allow it to pass.

President Donald Trump expressed support for “red flag” laws following the most recent shooting, tweeting Friday that “guns should not be placed in the hands of mentally ill or deranged people.”

Ducey is attempting to pass the law as part of his Safe Arizona Schools Plan, which was introduced in 2018.

“There’s no one law, no two laws, no basket of laws that can prevent all this,” Ducey said. “What we want to do is minimize it everywhere we can to prevent it from happening.”

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