A state deeply in love with its guns
Gerard Wright LOS ANGELES
January 10, 2011BEAUTIFUL, vast, rugged and unforgiving, Arizona's postcard landscape is matched by the frontier mentality of many of its populace: not so much lawless, but deeply conservative, and wedded to the idea that happiness truly is a warm gun.
Its border with Mexico is porous, regularly and easily traversed. Phoenix, its largest city, has become a waypoint for drug and human trafficking.
The state has also been hit hard by the recession, which has helped make it a centre for anti-immigrant rhetoric and tough-talking Republicans like Sarah Palin, whose "Tea Party" web page included an image of gunsight crosshairs on targeted congressional seats, Gabrielle Giffords's among them, and the slogan, "Don't Retreat, Reload".
As the local Pima County sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, suggested, the gunman's actions did not spring from a vacuum.
Under laws passed last year, any state resident over 21 can carry a concealed weapon without a permit. The state has also been hit hard by the recession, which has helped make it a centre for anti-immigrant rhetoric and tough-talking Republicans like Sarah Palin, whose "Tea Party" web page included an image of gunsight crosshairs on targeted congressional seats, Gabrielle Giffords's among them, and the slogan, "Don't Retreat, Reload".
Previously, the state had an "open carry" law, allowing licensed gun owners to publicly carry their weapons. This led to a scene outside a convention centre in Phoenix in August 2009, where a dozen firearm-carrying protesters gathered, including one with a semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, as Barack Obama spoke inside.
The hostility to the President is more than symbolic. That same month, Steven Anderson, a Baptist pastor in suburban Tempe, was revealed to be leading his congregation in prayers for Mr Obama's death.
Ms Giffords's election opponent last year was the ultra-conservative Tea Party-endorsed Jesse Kelly. His campaign included an invitation to shoot an M16 assault rifle with him.
"This is a gun-happy state," said David Fitzsimmons, a Tucson cartoonist. "In this state, it has become a fetish.''
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