AZCDL Alert: Your Vote is Critical to your Rights in Arizona

ACDL Alert:

If you're thinking of sitting out this election, your decision could usher in an anti-rights regime in the Arizona State Legislature that is dedicated to turning gun owners into criminals. On Election Day, the Arizona House of Representatives could easily shift to an anti-rights majority if YOU decide it's not worth the effort to vote.

Thanks to a pro-rights majority, AzCDL has been building on a steady stream of successes: http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

If the State Legislature shifts to an anti-rights majority because of voter apathy, instead of continuing to restore our rights, we will be fighting an onslaught of bills to eliminate gun ownership. The following are just some of the bills that were introduced just last year, and were defeated, but would have a good chance of becoming law with an anti-rights majority:

HB 2833: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2008_bills.html#hb2833. Required ammunition manufacturers to encode an individualized serial number on each bullet base and cartridge case. Possession of non-coded ammunition would be illegal. All ammunition sales would be recorded. A 1/2 cent tax would be added to every round of ammo sold. Manufacturers and vendors would face stiff fines for not-complying. This bill would effectively end ammunition sales and reloading in Arizona.

HB 2430 & HB 2431: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2008_bills.html#hb2430 . These companion bills would make you a criminal and lifetime prohibited possessor, along with being subject to personal liability, if a minor gains access to one of your firearms and causes injury or death. Virtually identical bills were also introduced in the previous two legislative sessions.

HB 2429: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2008_bills.html#hb2429. Established a new 75 foot perimeter around polling places where weapons are prohibited. Current law prohibits weapons inside polling places.

HB 2358: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2008_bills.html#hb2358. Increased the penalty for possession of a firearm on school grounds to a Class 5 Felony.

HB 2786: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2008_bills.html#hb2786. Added "post secondary" institutions (i.e., colleges and universities) to places where weapons are prohibited.

If you are content to see legislation like the bills listed above become law, then sit out the election. However, if you want to continue to fight for your rights here in Arizona, then VOTE on Election Day.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today!

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