Attorney General Mayes Applauds House Passage of Critical Legislation to Combat Weapons Trafficking to Gangs and Criminal Organizations

PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes today released the following statement after the Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2131, legislation proposed by her office and sponsored by Representative Quang Nguyen (R-1), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee:

My office has seen firsthand the devastation these weapons cause in our communities. Under current law, traffickers have been able to exploit loopholes and avoid serious prison time. HB 2131 changes that. This bill ensures that anyone who engages in weapons trafficking to gangs, criminal syndicates, or racketeering enterprises will face enhanced penalties.

This legislation is the result of collaboration between my office and law enforcement partners across the state who have been calling for stronger tools to combat the trafficking networks that endanger law enforcement officers and Arizona communities.

By closing these dangerous gaps in the law, we will help prosecutors across Arizona hold these traffickers accountable and disrupt the pipeline that puts guns and explosives in the hands of Arizona's most dangerous criminals. I urge the Senate to swiftly pass this bipartisan public safety measure and send it to the Governor's desk.

Background on HB 2131:

HB 2131 expands the offense of weapons trafficking to include the transfer of even a single weapon or explosive when done to assist or advance organized criminal activity, including gangs, criminal syndicates, and racketeering enterprises. 

The bill imposes mandatory prison sentences by prohibiting probation, early release, or sentence suspension in cases involving the trafficking of three or more weapons or explosives, whether charged in a single offense or consolidated for trial. The legislation targets professional traffickers who supply violent criminal networks with the tools they use to commit crimes, intimidate communities, and endanger law enforcement officers.

HB 2131 is part of the Attorney General Mayes’ ongoing commitment to combating organized crime and protecting communities from gun violence, and ensuring that those who fuel violence through weapons trafficking face serious consequences.