Not so fast Utah — Arizona is now giving chase in the race to be the first state with an official gun. A bill to make the Colt revolver the state’s official firearm passed out of the Arizona State Senate appropriations committee Wednesday by a vote of 9-4.
The vote comes less than two months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) was shot in Tuscon, in a shooting that killed six people. Giffords survived and is currently in rehabilitating in Texas.
More than 40 state lawmakers are co-sponsoring the legislation.
The Associated Press writes that the gun was popular in the West during the late 19th century, and that “a Colt lobbyist said the revolver helped settle the Arizona Territory.”
As TPM has reported, Utah is the only other state considering a similar measure. Earlier this month the Utah State Senate passed a recommendation to make the Browning M1911 the state’s official gun.
