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Moving to AZ from WA

Rook

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Good Day,

I wanted to throw down a post just as an informational bonus to myself about the area. First of I would like to say that I am currently looking to move to the Queen Creek / Maricopa portion of the state. I wanted to get an idea of the changes I might see moving to AZ.

I understand AZ is a gold-star state so that makes me happy although I know there are always things to be aware of, places to take special note of or squads that will hassle you for their power allows them to do so.

Also, just so you know I will be continuing my education once down in AZ for my short term goal of getting through the academy and being a "well-informed" police officer, then on to my "longer term" goal of being a private investigator. So, just as a rough overview...thats me.

Anything I need to know? So far I do know that like in WA there is legal open carry, is there state preemption for local ordinances cast down by city or county ordinance or does the city/county make their laws? I understand I have to attend an 8 hour class if I want to transfer my WA CPL to an AZ CCW, interesting, anyone know exactly how long I have to accomplish this?

As well, I was talking to my gun broker up here in WA and he tells me that I may be allowed to own fully-automatic machine guns, short barrelled shotguns, etc...and I would ask you all what the extent of the law is regarding that !! Let me have it... One more thing, I really would like to know what the laws are pertaining to the fire or weapons on state owned lands, city limit restrictions, etc....

Any information you can provide would rock!!
 

r6-rider

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well as far as the automatic guns, short barreled shotguns, grenades, etc... you first have to get a class III license so you can legally own/purchase them. being as i dont live in AZ i cant tell you much, but the couple times iv visited i saw a good majority of people OCing. ill be movin there in a couple months as well
 

lostone1413

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You need to get the federal licence to own the full auto. I know allot of shooter that have full auto some even have silencers

OC is good in AZ but i'd still get a CCW. The reason for the CCW is when you go in places that you shouldn't carry. Here they say concealed means that concealed.

The Police. Most are great but when you get in the larger citys you can run across some who came from out of state depts that aren't that pro gun TUFF S**T carry anyway. Unless their would be a metal detector I ALWAYS CARRY!
 

mzbk2l

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Mar 13, 2007
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Superstition Mountain, Arizona, USA
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Welcome!

One of the best things you can do is pick up the current edition of "The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide." It's available in just about every gun store in Arizona, or you can get it from Amazon. It's a great read; a very comprehensive look at all of Arizona's gun laws, with explanations of what and where you can and cannot carry.

Arizona does allow legal ownership of class III weapons, provided you go through the federal process to acquire them.

I've never encountered any problems open carrying, either.

Something like 90-95% of Arizona land is owned by the state or federal government. Shooting is allowed on almost all National Forest land, except that immediately surrounding urban areas. The book recommended above will answer all of your questions about where you can shoot; I don't have to go very far from hom at all.
 

azcdlfred

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Dec 10, 2006
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Rook wrote:
Good Day,

I wanted to get an idea of the changes I might see moving to AZ.

For a starter, pick up a copy of The Arizona Gun Owners Guide

For a primer on AZ gun laws, look at "Legal Issue Relating to the Use ofDeadly Force" at the AzCDL website's Educational page. It's the document that is used by instructors when teaching CCW classes.

Beware - Arizona's open carry laws have been obfuscated by a couple of 1994 court decisions, State v. Adams and State v. Moerman. We (AzCDL) are working to restore those rights. Check out our Legislation page for bills introduced this year. HB 2222 contains language rewriting "open carry" and HB 2389 restores the right to carry anywhere in a vehicle without a permit. HB 2630 is a step towards decriminilizing CCW without a permit.

Fred
 

ATCer

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Feb 2, 2008
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Rook,

as soon as you posess an AZ state driver's license, you should be able to apply for an AZ CPL, can't say for sure tho. I kept my WA license and residency when I moved to AZ due to military orders. It is important to note tho that WA doesn't have reciprocity with AZ so your AZ CPL will be no good in WA. The AZ CPL is kind of a pain too because you have to pay about $60 for the class AND about $60 or $70 for the actual permit. Hope this helps.
 

azcdlfred

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ATCer wrote:
as soon as you posess an AZ state driver's license, you should be able to apply for an AZ CPL, can't say for sure tho.

You don't need to be a resident to have an AZ CCW. I got mine when I lived in VA. However, you must complete training in AZ. This is not in statute, it is a DPS Administrative rule. When I checked on it, DPS said they want to be able to prosecute instructors who don't toe the line and they can't do that when they are out of state.

Fred
 

ATCer

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Feb 2, 2008
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Fred,

thanks for the correction. Like I said, I'm not exactly sure about AZ law... at least I'm not nearly as aware of it as I am of WA law. (like that does me alot of good here in AZ right?)
 

ATCer

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Feb 2, 2008
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Thanks, I've been perusing the site now for about a month now and figured I'd get involved. Funny thing, I've always benn a huge supporter of the 2a, but I guess I never realized just how passionate I was about it.
 

KBCraig

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Aug 7, 2007
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Granite State of Mind
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lostone1413 wrote:
You need to get the federal licence to own the full auto.!
There is no "federal license" just to own full auto, short barreled, suppressors, etc. If it were a license, you wouldn't have to go through the rigamarole every time. Instead, each of those items is registered with ATF, and you must pay a $200 tax on every one of them ($5 for "AOW", Any Other Weapon).

It's a tax, not a license. Back in 1934 they still felt constrained to pretend to follow the Constitution, and they knew they couldn't Constitutionally restrict gun ownership. But what they could do, was tax certain guns and devise a registration system to ensure the tax was paid.
 

Jared

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Jul 8, 2006
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Michigan, USA
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azcdlfred wrote:
ATCer wrote:
as soon as you posess an AZ state driver's license, you should be able to apply for an AZ CPL, can't say for sure tho.

You don't need to be a resident to have an AZ CCW. I got mine when I lived in VA. However, you must complete training in AZ. This is not in statute, it is a DPS Administrative rule. When I checked on it, DPS said they want to be able to prosecute instructors who don't toe the line and they can't do that when they are out of state.

Fred

Unfortunately for DPS, this isnot Santa's wishlist for Christmas. The are a law enforcement agency and... they must follow the law. From what I heard last year, they eased up on the training rule about teaching out of state since they really can't make up law as they go along.

Maybe it's time for the licensing authority to be transferred from DPS to the Attorney General or some other entity. They have been making up their own laws and regulations since the summer of 1994 when the CCW law was enacted.
 
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