Anyway, I did send off an email to both my reps.
Dear Rep. Krusick,
I have recently become aware of 2 bills (AB299 and AB479) regarding permissions of police and concealed carry.
AB299 text reads;
Current law generally prohibits a person from possessing or discharging a firearm in, or on the grounds of, a school or within 1,000 feet from the grounds of a school. Current law contains several exemptions to this prohibition, including law enforcement officers who are acting in their official capacity and, if the person is not in or on the grounds of a school, a person who holds a license to carry a concealed weapon. This bill eliminates the requirement that the officer be acting in his or her official capacity if the officer is authorized to carry a firearm; the officer is not the subject of any disciplinary action by the law enforcement agency that could result in the suspension or loss of his or her law enforcement authority; the officer is qualified
under standards established by the law enforcement agency to use a firearm; the law enforcement officer is not prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm; the firearm is not a machine gun or a destructive device, such as a bomb; the officer is
not carrying a firearm silencer; and the officer is not under the influence of an intoxicant.
AB479 text reads;
Under current federal law, with certain exceptions, a law enforcement officer may carry a concealed weapon if he or she is also carrying an identification issued by the law enforcement agency that employs him or her; this federal provision
explicitly preempts any state prohibition. Under current state law, any person may apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon. When the person submits an application, the Department of Justice (DOJ) must run a background check on the
applicant to see if he or she is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The person must also submit a fee to cover the costs of the application and the background check and must submit proof of training. Under this bill, DOJ must provide a license to carry
a concealed weapon to all law enforcement officers without the fee, background check, or training required by applicants who are not law enforcement officers.
In my opinion, AB299 is far too vague to become a law, it is unclear if the intent is to allow uniformed officers acting out of official capacity the ability to be on school grounds while armed, or is its intent to allow off duty the ability to carry concealed weapons on school grounds? Act 35 exempts license holders from GFSZ's 1000 foot rule, but does not exempt license holders from the actual school grounds. AB299 would give permissions police officers that citizens are not allowed. AB479 effectually exempts the police from requirements of Act 35 altogether. These bills are unfair as defined by the 14th amendment stated "nor shall any state ...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." A law specifying any class OR persons as exempt from a law is violating the 14th amendment unless that law pertains to all people. I am not against law enforcement officers the right to carry concealed weapons, however there should not be a separate set of rules for any class elite. I hope you have the opportunity to review these bills, and to express my concerns in my place.
I did get a response from both, stating they will look into it. I sent these out a few weeks ago.
