Citing issues with his gun control stance, the conservative group Fire Representative Chad Campbell filed recall paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State on March 13, 2013. The group needed to obtain 23,000 signatures by July 10, 2013 in order to force a recall election. The group did not turn in the necessary signatures by the July 10 deadline. Thomas said that although his group obtained enough signatures, it was not cleared by the Arizona Secretary of State's office to submit them.