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Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- To view the status of legislation that AzCDL is monitoring, visit our Bill Tracking page: http://www.azcdl.org/html/bill_tracking.html .

Thank you for your Action Center emails on HB 2095 (stopping HOA firearms restrictions) and SB 1077 (firearms on state lands)! We are working with the committee chairs to get these bills to move forward.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing progress on SB 1241, the AzCDL-requested legislation that would remove local control over the disposition of forfeited weapons. On Monday, January 30, 2012, SB 1241 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 5 to 2 vote with one member not voting.

Next week, on Monday, February 6, 2012, the following pro-rights bills are schedule to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee:

• SB 1304 would remove the authority of political subdivisions (counties, cities, towns, etc.) to restrict the discharge of a firearm within a quarter mile of an occupied structure. Currently it is possible for you to legally defend yourself with a firearm but be arrested for “discharging a firearm” under a local ordinance.
• SB 1448 would require state and local government property to have access “controlled or restricted by the presence of a state or other certified law enforcement officer, or an armed security officer” in order ban the carrying of weapons.
• SB 1474 is an NRA-requested Campus Carry bill that would allow CCW permit holders to carry discreetly on campus, but would allow college and university governing boards to prohibit weapons inside of buildings as long as “temporary and secure” storage for the weapon is provided.
• SB 1479 would reduce the penalty for entering state and local government property that bans weapons to a Petty Offense unless it is a “secured facility” (guards, metal detectors, etc.), then the penalty is a Misdemeanor. The bill also allows for court action when the government entity doesn’t follow the rules.

Over in the House, HB 2640, which would prohibit the Game and Fish Commission from limiting or restricting magazine capacity on any authorized firearm, has been scheduled for a hearing on Monday, February 6, 2012, in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, HB 2728 is scheduled to be heard in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS) Committee. This bill would prohibit the Arizona Game and Fish Commission from banning the lawful possession or use of sound suppressors when hunting.

If you would like to contact your legislator about these, or any other bills, our Legislative Action Center is available for your use. Go to http://capwiz.com/azcdl/home , click on your State Senator or Representative, then click on the “contact” tab and compose a message. If this is your first visit to our Action Center, you will need to provide your location to help you identify your elected officials.

The deadline for Senators to introduce bills was January 30, 2012. Representatives have until Monday, February 6, 2012 to get their bills filed.

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

• You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we’ll send out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
• AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .
• These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization: http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .
• 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

Filed under: Gun Rights News by Ammoland No Comments »

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Committee members need to hear from you.

Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Your help is needed to get these pro-rights bills heard in committee. Letters have been prepared and are waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:

HB 2095: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .
SB 1077: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

Last week, two bills protecting your right to bear arms were scheduled for committee hearings but were “held” without being heard. It’s time to shine some light on those committees and let them know these bills need to heard and voted on favorably.

HB 2095 was scheduled for a hearing in the House Government Committee on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, but was pulled from the list of bills scheduled for debate and vote. This AzCDL-requested legislation would limit the restrictions that a Home Owner Association (HOA) can place on firearms. A letter has been prepared and is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .

In modern day Arizona, it is difficult to not live in a planned community controlled by an HOA. In the Phoenix area, there are HOA communities bigger than some towns. Unfortunately, the laudable idea of establishing residential standards to optimize property values has a dark side. Social engineering has crept into HOA governing documents. In the not too distant past, racial purity was required in home sales. Still imbedded in many governing documents are requirements that residents must be unarmed as a condition of living in the community.

HB 2095 was drafted to allow the residents of HOA governed communities the same constitutionally protected right to bear arms they enjoy once they leave the boundaries of their neighborhood. If you live in an HOA community, please mention it in the “Editable Text” area of your letter to the House Government Committee: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .

SB 1077 was scheduled for a hearing in the Senate National Resources and Transportation Committee on Monday, January 23, 2012, but was pulled from the list of bills scheduled for debate and vote. This bill would specifically exempt from the state lands trespass statute the “lawful possession or discharge of a firearm while hunting, while target shooting, in self-defense or in defense of another.” A letter has been prepared and is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

Somewhere over Arizona’s history as a state, the concept that the people of Arizona have a vested interest in state land got lost. Laws created to regulate mining and grazing have morphed into regulations controlling one’s mere presence on state land. It is now a misdemeanor to be on state land without government permission. SB 1077 specifically excludes the lawful possession and use of a firearm on state land. If you hunt or like to shoot on state “owned” land be sure to mention that in the “Editable Text” of your letter to the Senate National Resources and

Transportation Committee:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

If you believe that your right to bear arms does not have exception clauses for where you live or happen to travel in Arizona, then it is imperative that you get involved and let these committee members know how you want them to vote on these bills. This is not a time to let the “other guy” do the work. Like the quote at the beginning of this Alert says, if we don’t take any action, we lose.

Participation is simple and takes less than a minute. Click on the links provided, fill in the “Sender Information” then click on “Send Message.” The “Editable Text” area of the message allows you add any additional comments, or edit what is already there.

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization: http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

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

Filed under: Gun Rights News by Ammoland No Comments »