State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-Ariz.). (Courtesy of NSSF)
May 19, 2022
By NSSF
NSSF Note:
1) Who introduced you to hunting and the shooting sports?
I was about seven years old when my father introduced me to his sidearm, a .38 special that he carried daily as a Captain in the South Vietnamese Army. It wasn’t so much about how to use a firearm and the safety aspect of it, but it was more along the line of understanding that you will need to know how to operate it, because one day, you may have to defend our nation, our family and our neighbors. Even at that age, I understood the concept seeing how I just had my first taste of a communist invasion of 1968.
2) What was your most recent shooting sports/hunting experience?
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This past February, I competed in the longest-running rifle match in the history of the United States, the 130th Washington’s Birthday Match held at Ben Avery Shooting Facility, north of Phoenix, Arizona. It was a fun match and a fundraiser for our Junior High Power Rifle Team, the Arizona Scorpions. I got involved with this match back in 2013 when my daughter first joined the Scorpions. I met a lot of great people in that first match and later on became a coach, and that led me to take on running the junior rifle program as state director. Fast forward, my daughter is now a Distinguished High Power Marksman serving as an Ensign in the submarine force, U.S. Navy.
3) Describe your favorite shooting sports or hunting activity.
I am grinning anytime I can get to the range with my children and friends. I don’t compete much because of the lack of time being a state legislator, but it is important to maintain the skills and tools if you take exercising the right to keep and bear arms seriously.
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4) Which piece of pending legislation related to the firearm industry is particularly important to you and why?
Every time a Democrat is in the White House, we can expect further erosion of the Second Amendment. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to serve in the Arizona State Legislature. It is no longer enough to say that I am an NRA member, I own guns and I shoot. We all need to stand up to fight back and stop the destruction of our Constitutional rights, brick by brick, to keep and bear arms as intended by the Founders. In my first year, 2021, I amended SB1382 to prevent frivolous lawsuits against the Arizona firearm industry, distributors, retailers when a firearm is illegally used or used in the commission of crimes. This year, I authored HB2448 which would require schools to teach firearm safety training in grades 6-12. This bill is currently in the Arizona Senate waiting for a vote. My work isn’t about the expansion of the Second Amendment, but more so in reclaiming OUR Second Amendment.
5) What do you see as the challenges and opportunities for hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts?
As President of Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association (ASRPA), my goal is to continue with firearm safety education, support hunting, and promote competitive shooting to young Americans. Here in Arizona, we have multiple sport shooting programs for all ages in all disciplines. The Arizona Scorpions, our junior high power rifle team has 15 national titles with many of our young patriots serving in the military. The challenge continues to be anticipating the federal government’s next move to infringe upon our right to exercise the Second Amendment. We are doing a fine job in Arizona.
