Bill 2843 is one of the most reprehensible laws imaginable, and it's advancing in the Arizona legislature right now.
The bill would change existing Arizona law so that ranchers can shoot trespassers anywhere on their property.Sign the petition pleading with Arizona's senators to vote NO on this inhumane bill!As it stands, a person can only be justified in using lethal force if the trespasser is in their home or other residential structures and if they feel threatened.
The new provisions would mean that people crossing land yards or even miles away from the owners' houses could be killed in cold blood.Arizona House of Representative Analise Ortiz, a Democrat who voted against the bill, made the chilling observation that it would authorize an "open season on migrants."While the bill does not explicitly mention immigration, Arizona shares over 350 border miles with Mexico and many asylum seekers journey into and through the state looking for a safer, better life.
Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea was on such a journey in January 2023 when he was gunned down and murdered. A rancher shot Cuen-Buitimea, who was unarmed, in the back with an AK-47 from approximately 100 feet away.
If passed, bill 2843 could make this murder totally legal.The US is a country that is already plagued by gun violence --
the last thing it needs is a law protecting shooters who use indiscriminate lethal force at the drop of a hat.This bill is a clear message to landowners in Arizona -- "shoot first and ask questions later" as Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee spokesperson Abhi Rahman puts it.
Gut-wrenchingly, the Arizona House has already passed this deadly piece of legislation. And while we are hopeful the Arizona's governor would veto such an alarming law, we want the senate to send a clear message that this is not okay.
So let's raise our voices together and advocate for undocumented immigrants' safety -- sign the petition and demand the Arizona Senate say NO to bill 2843!