PHOENIX – On Thursday, Senator Sonny Borelli declared Senate Bill 1625, dead on arrival in a tweet. The bill, sponsored by 12 Democrats would ban possession and sale of assault weapon or large capacity magazine.

The Bill is D.O.A. and will NOT be heard in Committee. https://t.co/kJL4YCC8yt — Sonny Borrelli (@SonnyBorrelli) February 13, 2020

Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar issued a statement in opposition to bill. Gosar called the bill “a direct attack on federal constitutional rights.”

“Twelve radical Democrats in Arizona have introduced shocking legislation, Senate Bill 1625, which would flagrantly violate the Bill of Rights and American civil liberties,” stated Gosar. “Not only do these extremists seek to disarm citizens, leaving them without the ability to defend their families, themselves, or their property, they also directly attack Arizona jobs and the Arizona economy by seeking to unlawfully ban gun manufacturing in Arizona.”

Gosar noted that Arizona is “home to Sturm, Ruger & Co. in Prescott, HWP Ammo in Payson, and even larger weapons including Raytheon missiles in Tuscon and many of the finest gun and ammunition stores in the United States. An attack on one weapon manufacturer is an attack on all.”

“The radical democrats further seek to create a potentially lethal confrontation between lawful gun owners and law enforcement personnel who would foolishly seek to enforce this law if enacted,” claimed Gosar. “The proposed law states that lawful gun owners must “surrender” their guns—or else law enforcement will go house to house kicking in doors. This is completely unacceptable and creates a dangerous police-state confrontation with citizens.”

SB 1625 defines what constitutes an assault weapon, including, among other things, a “semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine.” It also defines what is a large capacity magazine, categorizing it as “any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds,” with certain exceptions.

According to AZFamily.com, Veerachart Murphy, a Phoenix gun store owner reported that the bill banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines boosted his sales. Murphy, the owner of Ammo AZ, told AZFamily.com, said sales “have literally been up about 50 to 70 percent,” with the AR-15 being the number one most sought after weapon.