Three Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives signed a letter questioning Flagstaff’s plan to see firearm advertisements banned from public buildings and facilities. The letter came after Flagstaff city leaders received a draft of new advertising guidelines that explicitly ban any mention of firearms or ammunition, even though the previous policy focused on banning “violence” and “antisocial behavior” in the advertisements.
Arizona State Representatives David Marshall (R-Snowflake) (pictured above, left), Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu) (pictured above, right), and Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott) (pictured above, middle) warned the draft policy “raises a host of constitutional concerns, including viewpoint discrimination, and very likely violates state law,” urging the city leaders to “postpone your consideration” until the new policy adheres Arizona law and the U.S. Constitution.
While the advertising ban would primarily affect those seeking to place ads at the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, which receives as many as 15,000 tourists each month, the draft presented to city leaders was a blanket policy that would also include facilities like the Jay Lively Activity Center ice skating rink.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Nguyen wrote that adopting the “radical” policy change would mean the city is “discriminating against firearms-related speech.”
Flagstaff is set to vote today on a new radical ad policy discriminating against firearms-related speech. I joined my @AZHouse colleagues @DaveMarshallAZ and @Leo4AzHouse in calling out its potential constitutional violations and likely breach of state law. #1A #2A pic.twitter.com/cBWUBsgaTP
— Quang Nguyen (@QuangNguyenAZ) September 12, 2023
