PHX Reporter

Merissa Hamilton, chairwoman of Strong Communities Action, said Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto of the “defense of premises’’ bill shows that the safety of Arizona resident is “a sacrifice” she “is willing to make.”

"Your life is a sacrifice Katie Hobbs is willing to make,” Hamilton said in a post on X. “Governor Hobbs wants invaders to have plenty of time to target your property where you can't defend yourself until they are inside which is often too late to protect your family sufficiently.”

Governor Hobbs vetoed Arizona House Bill 2843, written by Rep. Justin Heap (R-Mesa), which passed in both the House and Senate. The bill would have expanded an individual’s right to threaten deadly force against an intruder to include all areas of their privately owned property. Current Arizona law limits this ability to the immediate residence area. 

Hobbs vetoed the bill, claiming it would cause unnecessary violence and would not solve the immediate border crisis. 

Heap clarified that his bill does not expand the circumstances in which a person is legally allowed to use deadly force, and it was not intended to address the border crisis.

Hamilton is co-founder and CEO of Strong Communities Action and EZAZ.org ,which seeks to make civic action “Easy as Pie. She previously ran for Phoenix mayor in 2020 and serves as Member at Large of the Republican Party for Congressional District 1.