Archive for category Gun Right Bills

Senate committee green lights looser rules for concealed weapons

Posted by admin in CCW News, Gun Right Bills, Legislative on February 4th, 2010

by Catherine Holland

Posted on February 2, 2010 at 7:02 AM

Updated Tuesday, Feb 2 at 8:30 AM

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PHOENIX — Arizona adults who want to carry a concealed weapon might not have to undergo a background check or any special training in the future.

The Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved a measure that would allow exactly that. The vote was four to three along party lines.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Russell Pearce of Mesa. The Republican says the measure is designed preserve the constitutional right to bear arms. It’s also meant to cut the legal red tape that many say prevents law-abiding people from protecting themselves.

Opponents of the bill are concerned that allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit would lead to more violence.

Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police lobbyist John Thomas says the measure would “take Arizona back into Wild-West carry with no consideration for officer safety.”

Right now it is legal to an adult to carry a gun as long as it’s clearly visible.

Those who want to carry concealed are required not only to have a permit, but to have that permit with them whenever they are carrying. The permit holder must also show the document to law-enforcement officers upon request.

To get that permit, a person must undergo a minimum of eight hours of training by an authorized instructor and submit fingerprints.

The bill on the table, SB1102, would remove that training requirement. It would also remove the mandate that a person carrying a concealed weapon also carry a CCW permit.

According to the Department of Public Safety, processing time for permits is currently running at about 75 days. In addition, because Arizona is a “shall issue” state, permits cannot be denied as long as the applicant meets the statutory requirements.

DPS statistics show that as of Jan. 31, there were nearly 150,000 active permits, more than 1,700 suspended permits and 1,002 revoked permits. More than 78,000 of those permits are held in Maricopa County.

The largest single group of those with concealed-weapons permits is white men between the ages of 60 and 69, followed by white men between the ages of 50 and 59.

The measure passed Monday, SB 1102, will go to the full Senate after a legal review. A House committee is slated to hear a similar bill on Wednesday.

Current statutes
Arizona Revised Statute 13-3112
Arizona Administrative Rules R13-9-101 through R13-9-603

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Arizona Pro Gun Rights Bills Filed Early

Posted by admin in Gun Right Bills, Right To Bear Arms (RTBA) on January 1st, 2010

Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 2:51 pm

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Article by: AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom  – http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html

Glendale, AZ --(AmmoLand.com)-  Even though the next “Regular” legislative session doesn’t being until Monday, January 11, 2010, some legislators have already begun “pre-filing” bills.

The following pro-rights bills have been filed that affect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA):

HB 2015 (Burges) – Adds defensive display of a firearm as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, the use of deadly physical force.

HB 2016 (Burges) – Allows out of state applicants whose rights have been restored to obtain a CCW permit under the same conditions as Arizona residents.

HB 2017 (Burges) – Clarifies that NRA instructors may teach the school gun safety courses.

SB 1011 (Harper) – Allows college/university faculty members with CCW permits to possess a concealed firearm on campus.

SB 1015 (Harper) – Clarifies the “no firearms” signage requirements for restaurants. Also changes the affirmative defense language to “not an offense.” Finally, it restores the requirement that a person “knows the possession of a firearm is prohibited” in an establishment

SB 1021 (Pearce) – Similar to HB 2015.
AzCDL’s representatives have been working with legislators on new bills for a number of months. We are expecting the bulk of these pro-rights bills to be filed after the session officially begins. As they progress, we will keep you informed via these Alerts.

Many of you in the self-defense civil rights community know of Dr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, the courageous Texas woman who was in Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen Texas in 1991 where her parents were murdered, along with 20 others, by a deranged criminal. She left her pistol in the trunk to comply with then current Texas law. Dr. Hupp went on to spend 10 years in the legislature.

Dr. Hupp will be the featured guest on AzCDL Board Member Charles Heller’s radio program America Armed & Free, Sunday, January 3, 2010, from 1-2 PM, where she will discuss her book, “From Luby’s To The Legislature.”

The program can heard on AM 1030 KVOI in Tucson, AM 930 KAPR in Douglas, and AM 1240, KJAA in Globe. It will also stream live at the KVOI website: http://tinyurl.com/KVOIlivestream. Charles will archive the program at his website: www.libertywatchradio.com/listen .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html

About:
AzCDL believes that the emphasis of gun laws should be on criminal misuse and that law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry firearms unaffected by unnecessary laws or regulations. AzCDL was founded by a group of local activists who recognized that a sustained, coordinated, statewide effort was critical to protecting and expanding the rights of law-abiding gun owners. As a like-minded coalition of activists, the AzCDL founders were instrumental in the successful passage of the first major improvement to Arizona’s CCW (concealed carry) laws since they were instituted in 1994. Visit: www.azcdl.org

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