Teen Violence Is on the Rise In Arizona, But Help Is Coming

We want the areas we live to be safe, and step one of that is to crack down on weapons ownership and gang affiliations. While never a permanent solution, lawmakers do their best to reduce violent crime, and will do everything they can to make their constituents feel safe.

Recently, Arizona's seen a wave of teen crime, which has caused major issues in the Phoenix metro-area. A new change is being put in place to help stop this violence.

The Gilbert Goons

As the 2020s rolled in, so did a wave of trouble in Arizona. That trouble went by the name "The Gilbert Goons", a group of teenagers who committed violent criminal acts in and around the Phoenix metro-area.

Their reign of terror lasted just over a year, attacking and beating other teens, seemingly just for the fun of it. This culminated in the attack of 16 year old Preston Lord at a Halloween Party in Queen Creek, in which the gang used brass knuckles to fatally beat the young man to death.

This made lawmakers pay attention.

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Changes are Coming to Arizona

A little under a year following the tragic death of Lord, Arizona lawmakers took action. They drafted a bill that would permanently ban the use of Brass Knuckles in the state of Arizona. The bill failed to be passed, but it's back again this year, this time, focusing on minor's use or ownership of the weapon.

This pairs perfectly with House Bill 2611, otherwise known as 'Preston's Law'. This would characterize any assault as aggravated if three or more people were involved, all working together.

Both of these bills have made decent progress, but will take more time before being placed into law. We can only hope our local politicians make the right choices to keep our home safe.

[AZ Central][AZ Legislation]