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On February 12, 2007 the Senate Judiciary committee will hear SB 1251 & SB 1629. The committee members need to hear from you now!
Information on these and other bills can be found at AzCDL's website:
http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html
SB 1251
Strengthens the "public establishment or event" storage requirements:
· Defines "secure storage" and "readily accessible."
· Prohibits recording information about the weapon or individual.
· If "operator" doesn't comply, they can't prohibit weapons.
· Exempts CCW permit holders from carry prohibitions except in court houses, etc.
Since the new law became effective on 9/21/06, many of you have shared anecdotal stories about storage lockers not being available; data being recorded about you and your weapon; guns being tossed into boxes or bags; and downright refusal to store your weapon. It's time to go on record to emphasize the need for SB 1251.
Due to objections from law enforcement, NRA, and others, we are expecting an amendment to be offered in committee to remove the permit holder exemption, and make a few other changes. We will monitor these changes, and inform you if they turn the bill into something bad for gun owners.
SB 1629
If you are not committing, or attempting to commit, a serious or violent crime, SB 1629 reclassifies carrying a concealed weapon without a permit as a petty offense. Here is the exact wording of the proposed new language for ARS 13-3102.K:
"Misconduct involving weapons under subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section is a petty offense unless the violation occurs in the commission or attempted commission of a serious offense as defined in section 13-604 or a violent crime as defined in section 13-604.04, in which case the offense is a class 1 misdemeanor."
Under current law, if you have not been issued a concealed weapons (CCW) permit, it is a class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon. Everyone is treated like a hardened criminal. Sadly, because of a couple of 1994 Appellate Court decisions:
· If a casual observer cannot easily see your firearm, you are carrying concealed and could be arrested.
·
Wearing a gun in a vehicle = concealed carry. Without a permit you are subject to arrest.
· Having a CCW permit and wearing a gun in a vehicle puts your non-CCW permit passengers at risk for being arrested for carrying concealed without a permit.
· There is no clear objective standard in statute that you can rely on to avoid violating the law.
SB 1629 separates the innocent mistake by otherwise law-abiding citizens from the cold-blooded actions of hardcore criminals. SB 1629 even adds the "attempted commission of a serious offense" language to the law, to assist law enforcement in determining who the bad guys are.
The passage of SB 1251 and SB 1629 will not be accomplished without serious support and activism from YOU!
It is essential to contact the Senate Judiciary committee members, strongly urging them to vote for SB 1251 and SB 1629. Both these bills are contentious issues and need all the support you can muster. Comments on each bill should be sent separately. The following are two cut-and-paste letters that you can use. One is for SB 1251 and the other is for SB 1629. After the letters are email lists of the committee members.
Subject: Vote YES on SB 1251
Dear Senator:
The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) has informed me that SB 1251 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee on Monday, February 12, 2007. I urge you to vote SB 1251 out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
SB 1251 clarifies the "public establishment or event" storage requirements passed last year. Compliance by State agencies and municipalities has been uneven. Storage lockers have not been available; unauthorized record keeping about individuals carrying weapons has taken place; and operators of some public establishments have refused to comply with the law. Storage polices need to be uniform throughout the State and operators of public establishments need to have clear guidelines in order to comply with the intent of the Legislature.
Again, I urge you to vote SB 1251 out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, AZ zip-code
(telephone number)
Subject: Vote YES on SB 1629
Dear Senator:
The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) has informed me that SB 1629 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee on Monday, February 12, 2007. I urge you to vote SB 1629 out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
Under current law it is a class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Because of 1994 Appellate Court decisions:
· If a casual observer cannot easily see my firearm, I could be arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.
· Having a firearm in my vehicle puts my passengers at risk for being arrested.
· There is no clear objective standard in statute that I can rely on to determine if I am violating the law.
SB 1629 only reduces the penalty for otherwise law-abiding citizens attempting to comply with a statue clouded by court decisions. SB 1629 retains the ability for law enforcement to arrest criminals. SB 1629 even adds the "attempted commission of a serious offense" language to the law, to assist law enforcement in determining who the bad guys are.
Again, I urge you to vote SB 1629 out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, AZ zip-code
(telephone number)
The following are email lists of the Senate Judiciary committee members. One list uses semi-colon separation and one uses comma separation. Use the format that meets the requirements of your email software.
(semi-colon separation)
cgray@azleg.gov;
rgould@azleg.gov;
kcheuvront@azleg.gov;
ahale@azleg.gov;
kjohnson@azleg.gov;
rmiranda@azleg.gov;
jwaring@azleg.gov
(comma separation)
cgray@azleg.gov,
rgould@azleg.gov,
kcheuvront@azleg.gov,
ahale@azleg.gov,
kjohnson@azleg.gov,
rmiranda@azleg.gov,
jwaring@azleg.gov
Please take the time to drop a note to the committee members indicating that you support these bills, asking them to vote them out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate, and please forward this Alert widely to concerned gun owners.
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today!
AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
Copyright © 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.
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