By Michael Bryan Exclusive to BlogForArizona, here's Paul Eckerstrom, former Chair of the Pima and (briefly) Arizona Democratic Parties, advocating for the 51st State: Baja Arizona. Paul spoke to fellow Bajaians at Drinking Liberally in Tucson. Advertisement Learn more about the movement or join up at the Website or Facebook Page.  Advertisement

By Michael Bryan You might note that we have made a slight alteration to the site banner. We are now acknowledging the de facto split between Baja and Alto Arizona. Of course, the split is not yet de jure, and may never be, but we thought it time to recognize that Baja and Alto are … Read more

by David Safier

The good folks at Mayors Against Illegal Guns already put out a Media Release with quotes from today's gathering in front of the downtown library.

Here is a sampling of the quotes:

• “On January 8th, my son Gabe was taken from me by the actions of a mentally ill man who never should have been allowed to purchase a gun." Ross Zimmerman (Gabe's father)
• "“I believe that a background check system that is thorough, effective and that applies to every gun buyer will help to keep the streets safer, and keep innocent people out of my operating room." Dr. Peter Rhee
• "As a law enforcement officer, I strongly support the Second Amendment and know that any American would gladly take a few minutes out of their day to save a life.  Let's make something positive out of this senseless tragedy and fix our background check system." Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor
• “I strongly support the Second Amendment but I also know that respecting the Second Amendment means stopping dangerous people from being able to purchase guns.  I call on Congress to reform our background check system immediately so that we can prevent future tragedies like the one we faced here in Tucson.” Former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard
• “Like all Americans, I value our shared constitutional rights, and I strongly support the Second Amendment. I also believe it's possible to honor and protect our rights while keeping guns away from criminals." Former U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini
• “Our faith teaches us that all life is sacred, and we have made it our mission to honor that tradition. What happened on that tragic morning in Tucson, and what happens every day with gun violence in our communities, does not need to happen.  That is why I support the work of this coalition to protect the peace and help save lives by keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous and unstable individuals.” Rev. Jan Flaaten
• "As a law enforcement official, I know firsthand how important it is to have a federal gun background check system that has accurate information on the people who are prohibited from possessing firearms." Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik
• “I am fortunate that my physical wounds have largely healed, but the tragic memory of that day will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I support the Fix Gun Checks legislation because I know firsthand how important it is to input the mental health records of prohibited purchasers into the system and require a background check for every gun sale." Randy Gardner, who was wounded at the January 8 shooting.

NOTE: Dr. Peter Rhee wrote on Huffington Post today: One Gun in the Wrong Hands, Six Innocent Lives Lost

You can read the entire Mayors Against Illegal Guns media release, which includes longer quotes, after the jump.

by David Safier I'm not always successful at keeping my inner English teacher in check. Right now, if I don't let him out, he might do damage to some vital inner organ. Admittedly, the emerging vocabulary of the blogosphere is still very much in flux. However . . . What I am writing here is … Read more

by David Safier The Fix Gun Checks mobile truck made it to Tucson today after starting in New York on February 15 and traveling across country to big cities and small towns, holding events and talking with gun victims as well as people who are "survivors" — family and friends of people who were killed … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Even as a kid I loved 60 Minutes. In its early days it was "ambush" investigative journalism. Every week there was some crooked evil bastard who would answer his door only to be confronted by Mike Wallace – "Mike Wallace, 60 Minutes, can we talk to you?" The look of fear and dread on … Read more