The state of Arizona was long upheld as perhaps the most pro-gun state in the nation. That's not necessarily the case anymore, but at least some of that is just people going beyond where Arizona was and not so much because the state backslid.

Still, this is a state that elected an anti-gunner to the Senate. It's probably just a matter of time before the state really goes down the anti-gun road unless Second Amendment advocates in the state step up and make it clear that it's not a good idea.

And, it seems, that's precisely what they did this past weekend.

A stroll through Wesley Bowling Plaza may be a common destination for couples courting each other, but on Saturday morning, Ka'Sondra Bible, from the West Vally, and Carey Johnson decided to mix it up for their second-ever date by attending the Celebrate & Protect Second Amendment Rally at the Phoenix park.

A lineup of gun rights advocates, including state politicians, spoke at the event, which, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety was attended by approximately 500 people.

A photo relating to firearms that Bible had on her dating profile caught Johnson's attention, and now they were sipping on cucumber lemonade under the shade of a tree as speakers in front of the state Capitol took turns praising the movement or lambasting gun control efforts. Many in the crowd carried firearms. Among them was Johnson, a Republican Party precinct committee member who said he was there for "Freedom."

"They're trying to ban guns like this that legal gun owners own," Johnson said of gun control advocates, pointing to the AR-15 he sported across his torso. Decked out in tan camouflage fatigue accessorized with a Glock on his waist and a hunting knife tucked into a chest pocket, Johnson cheerfully added about his more demurely dressed date, "It's her first time at one of these. I brought her."

Donning all-black attire, the soft-spoken 51-year-old Bible said she is a gun owner and a U.S. Army veteran, but not overtly political. She did, however, say national leaders, including President Joe Biden, were being hypocritical in excluding gun owners from their calls for protecting rights.

"Freedom should be for all. Those who believe one way shouldn't be shunned because they don't believe as you," Bible said.

500 is a pretty good turnout for something like this, and there were a lot of speakers present as well from what I've seen of the event on social media.

And that's a good thing, because with a Democrat in the governor's mansion and Gabby Giffords's husband in the Senate, there's a lot of indicators that the state may not be as pro-gun in years to come as they have been historically.

But  it's also important to remind lawmakers that there are still a lot of people in Arizona who believe in the right to keep and bear arms and that ignoring that may well be a good way to end your political career.

So far, the legislature has held firm, even trying to pass pro-gun bills, though Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed pretty much everything that has made it to her desk. That's what rallies like this do, and I'm glad to see it.

Who knows, it may well start to shift the politics of the state back toward a deep respect of the Second Amendment, which would be nice under the circumstances.