AZ: AZCDL Legislative Update

AZCDL Legislative Update:

SB 1070, the AzCDL-requested bill that makes it easier for lawful gun owners who have satisfactorily completed training to obtain a permit, or renew an expired one, passed out of the House Final Read on June 4, 2008 by a vote of 26-1 with 3 Senators not voting, and was sent to the Governor.

It is VERY important to contact the Governor, and urge her to sign SB 1070 into law. You can use your own message, or you can use the sample message below. Her email address is azgov@az.gov. You can also fax a letter to her at 602-542-1381.

Or you can mail it to her at the following address:

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

You can also call her office, toll free, at 1-800-253-0883.

Following the sample letter are instructions on how to post your comments on the Governor's website.
______________________________________________________

Subject: Please sign SB 1070

Governor Napolitano:

The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) has informed me that important legislation, SB 1070, is awaiting your signature. I urge you to sign SB 1070 into law.

SB 1070 would make changes to ARS 13-3112 regarding the process for obtaining a concealed weapons permit. It provides that if an applicant has ever satisfactorily completed the required firearms safety training, they have met the training requirement for a permit. Current law (ARS 13-3112.E.6) does not place any time limit on when a person must complete training. However, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has established arbitrary dates for training validation. In 2007 DPS stated that training must occur within 12 months of an application (Administrative Rule R13-9-202.2.a). Prior to 2007, DPS set this period to be only 6 months. Once a person has obtained a permit, the initial training is good as long as a permit holder submits timely renewals (ARS 13-3112.L).

The proposed language recognizes that the training has no expiration date, and aligns the initial permit requirements with the permit renewal requirements.

SB 1070 also codifies DPS Administrative Rule R13-9-307 that National Rifle Association (NRA) certified instructors meet the eligibility requirements for DPS certification. It allows that training can be conducted by NRA certified pistol and personal protection instructors, as well as DPS certified instructors (ARS 13-3112.O.4).

Again, I urge you to support sound public policy, and sign SB 1070 into law.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, AZ zip-code
telephone number
______________________________________________________

You can go to the Governor's website, http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp, where you will find a fill-in-the-blanks form to register your opinion. For "subject", scroll down and select "Legislation." For "topic", fill in "SB 1070." You can add your own polite message urging her to sign SB 1070 in the "message/comment" area, or you can use the sample message above.

HB 2634, the AzCDL-requested bill that clarifies that a person with an expunged or set-aside felony conviction, or one who has had their rights restored, may obtain a concealed weapons permit, was scheduled to be voted on in the House Final Read on June 4, 2008 but they adjourned early. It will most likely be rescheduled for a vote next week.

Stay tuned! Information on these and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html

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 © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.