By law, Arizona now officially designates gun stores as essential businesses allowed to remain open during an emergency. Gov. Doug Ducey signed the new law week recently.

Patriotic Americans see this as a move in the right direction to further protect gun stores, manufacturers, and trade associations from lawsuits.

State Senate Bill 1382, introduced by Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers, applies to any store selling guns or ammunition, or their components, and mirrors federal law that was passed on a bipartisan basis.

The measure will protect the Second Amendment rights of Arizonans by “safeguarding against frivolous lawsuits that have no connection to unlawful use of firearms,” Ducey said.

“With efforts currently underway in Washington to erode Second Amendment rights, Arizona is taking action to protect those rights,” he stated. “In Arizona, we’re safeguarding manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations.”

“Bad actors need to be held accountable, and we will work to make sure they are,” the Gov. Ducey added. “But we’re not going to allow lawsuit after lawsuit to slowly tear down the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens in our state.”

The bill bans the state and its entities from suing a member of the firearms industry for lawful design, marketing, distribution, and sale of firearms and ammunition to the public.

It also prohibits a manufacturer or seller of a firearm or ammunition or related trade association from being sued for damages resulting from the criminal misuse of the firearm or ammunition.