AZ: Constitutional Carry Passed in Senate - Next Stop: House

Watch the video archive. Check out the related NRA-ILA alert. Below details are from AZCDL:

First, the good news! SB 1108, the Senate version of the AzCDL-requested Constitutional Carry bill, passed in the Senate Third Read, by a 20-10 vote, on Monday, March 29, 2010. Your emails work!

From here, SB 1108 will be sent over to the House. Since the House has already voted for an identical bill, HB 2347, during their Committee of the Whole (COW) debate, we are expecting SB 1108 to be substituted for HB 2347 during the House Third Read. We are also expecting the House Third Read vote to be as early as [Wednesday, March 31, 2010]. This will be “the” final vote on Constitutional Carry to determine if it will be sent to the Governor!

AzCDL’s representatives are at the Capitol daily counting potential votes and talking to the undecided. However, what will determine the successful passage of SB 1108 are YOUR emails. Your letter, to send to your Representatives, has been prepared and is waiting for you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14824091 .

We would also appreciate it if you took the time to contact Senators Carolyn Allen, Steve Pierce, Rebecca Rios and Jay Tibshraeny and thank them for supporting SB 1108 during the Senate Third Read. They were 4 of the 5 Senators who supported the Cheuvront amendment that ended the progress of SB 1102, the original Senate Constitutional Carry bill. After receiving hundreds of your emails they voted for SB 1108. Please go to AzCDL Action Center and send these Senators a note of thanks:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14879796 .

SB 1168, the Firearms Preemption bill, was also scheduled for a Senate Third Read vote on March 29th. However it was held pending a House vote on HB 2543, the House version of Firearms Preemption. During the House Third Read, also on March 29th, HB 2543 passed by a 36-21 vote with 3 Representatives not voting. It will soon be sent to the Senate and substituted for SB 1168 in an upcoming Senate Third Read. Like the situation with Constitutional Carry, this should be the final vote before sending the bill to the Governor.

Finally, HB 2307, the Firearms Freedom Act, also passed out of the Senate Third Read on March 29th by a 22-8 vote. From here it will go back to the House (a formality) before being sent to the Governor.

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

If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL “tweets” from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news as it happens.

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .

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. Renew today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Nugent: 'New Independence Day' in November

Ted Nugent on the upcoming 2010 elections:

NRA-ILA: Brady Campaign Continues Slide Into Irrelevancy

I could not agree more!

From the NRA-ILA:

The notion that lemmings deliberately hasten their demise by rushing into the sea may be a myth, but the anti-Second Amendment group and its spokesmen really are scurrying through a series of blunders that may hasten their steady march to irrelevancy.

In 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the group's two theories about the Second Amendment were rejected by the Supreme Court, one of them by five justices and the other by all nine. In 2009, they tried, with no success, to frighten America about tourists carrying guns for protection in national parks.

This year, they've insulted their most powerful ally, President Obama, for not setting aside the economy, the war, and his social agenda to push for gun control legislation Congress does not support. They've given the states their worst "Brady grades" ever, even though violent crime continues to decrease. And, they've badgered the Starbucks coffee company for allowing customers to legally carry firearms in its stores.

This week, though, Brady lawyer Dennis Henigan—the world's most prolific advocate of the legal theories the Supreme Court sent to the shredder two years ago—further diminished the group's credibility by claiming "The evidence is overwhelming that the 'shall-issue' concealed carry laws have been a disaster for public safety. . . . [T]he scholarly research shows that the laws generally have been 'associated with uniform increases in crime.'"

If he had just pushed himself away from the computer after his first four words, he would have been much better off. There's "evidence," all right, and it's certainly "overwhelming." Today, there are 36 states with "shall issue" laws—an all-time high. Sixty-three percent of Americans live in "shall issue" states, five million Americans have carry permits, and two states don't even require a permit to carry concealed.

"Uniform increases in crime"? The nation's violent crime rate is at a 35-year low.

Since adopting "shall issue" laws, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia have had decreases in violent crime ranging from 26 to 53 percent.

Henigan also claimed to have 33,000 signatures on his anti-Starbucks online petition, which can be signed by anyone with a computer anywhere in the world. But in a country of five million carry permit holders, up to 80 million gun owners, and 300 million people, Brady's petition and $1.70 will get you …

Copyright 2010, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 800-392-8683

Constitutional Carry Scheduled for Senate COW Debate

From AZCDL:

Your immediate action is needed to support SB 1108, the AzCDL-requested Constitutional Carry bill, which eliminates the prohibition and penalties for law-abiding adults who carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

We are expecting SB 1108 to be placed on the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) agenda for March 23rd (tomorrow!). It is critical that you immediately contact your Senator and urge them to support SB 1108 during the COW debate. A letter is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14820506 .

On March 18th both Constitutional Carry bills (SB 1108 & HB 2347) were scheduled for debate in their respective chamber’s Committee of the Whole (COW). Both were pulled from the calendar to be rescheduled, for a very good reason. On March 17th the Governor’s staff requested some minor changes that they felt would improve the chance of Constitutional Carry becoming law. SB 1108 has now been rescheduled for COW debate tomorrow, March 23rd.

If you haven’t sent an email to your Senator on SB 1108 please don’t hesitate any longer. Your letter to send to your Senator is waiting for you at AzCDL’s Action Center.
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14820506 .

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

If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL “tweets” from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news as it happens.

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .

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. Renew today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

New Sponsor: LuckyGunner.com

I'd like to welcome our newest sponsor: LuckyGunner.com

You'll notice their banner on the right hand side of the page.

A few highlights:

• They don't do back-orders. They use a real time inventory system. As a result, what you see on their website is what they have in stock.
• If you place an order by 2 PM EST on a business day, orders are shipped the same day - otherwise they are shipped the next business day.
• They carry more than ammunition, such as survival gear, primers, and other reloading supplies.

Please thank them by visiting their site & placing an order. Once you receive your order, feel free to post comments on this post to share your customer experience with all of us. Thanks!

AZCDL Legislative Update

From AZCDL:

HB 2347, the House version of the AzCDL-requested Constitutional Carry bill, passed out of the House Rules committee on March 8th. Its next stop is the House Committee of the Whole (COW) for debate and voice vote. Unfortunately, bills are added to COW calendars with very little advanced warning, so keep your keyboards ready for an “11th hour” email offensive.

SB 1108, the Senate version of Constitutional Carry, is awaiting a review in the Senate Rules Committee before it progresses to the Senate COW.

We are picking up disinformation that is being spread about the Constitutional Carry bills, so let’s review their features. Article 2, Section 26 of the Arizona Constitution says that your pre-existing right to bear arms “shall not be impaired.” The Constitutional Carry bills restore that right by eliminating the prohibition and penalties currently in place for law-abiding adults who carry a concealed weapon without a CCW permit.

The Constitutional Carry bills also eliminate the confusion in interpreting the statutes regarding open carry and vehicle carry that have been clouded since 1994 by Appellate court decisions. For all practical purposes the only current way to be sure you are legally carrying openly, or in your vehicle, is to have a CCW permit.

The CCW permit becomes optional – it is not eliminated. Training requirements would be broadened to facilitate obtaining the optional permit. The expanded training opportunities include allowing the use of NRA training, proof of military service, college level courses and training from an approved firearms training school (e.g., Gunsite, Front Sight). Since these are similar to requirements in use by Florida and a number of other states, reciprocity should be unaffected.

A CCW permit will still be required to carry concealed into establishments that serve alcohol and to bypass the NICS check when purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer. Additionally, language has been added in HB 2347 & SB 1108 that exempts CCW permit holders from the requirement to be unarmed when entering a “non-secure” state and local government building. A non-secure building is one that doesn’t have the means to tightly control access by the general public.

The majority of rank and file law enforcement organizations are not opposing the Constitutional Carry bills. Opposition remains from organizations representing the chiefs of police and some county attorneys, primarily political positions.

There are many still working to defeat Constitutional Carry in the legislature. AzCDL is constantly working at the Capitol to count the supporters and influence the fence-sitters. Constitutional Carry has a good chance of becoming law this year, but our success will be totally dependent on YOUR involvement. When legislators hear from you, they get the message. Get ready!

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

If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL “tweets” from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news as it happens.

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .

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. Renew today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Open Carry Deters Crime

If you don't conceal your weapon, you give up the element of surprise in the event you are attacked and need to defend yourself. However, by carrying your firearm openly, you may deter a crime from happening in the first place, which would then lead to a better outcome. It is difficult to determine exactly how many crimes are deterred each year by those who carry openly due to the obvious fact that in such circumstances the crimes don't even take place.

We do however have at least one documented example in Kennesaw GA where a crew of armed thugs decided NOT to commit armed robbery in a waffle house because the thug who went in to scout the place before the crime saw Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell openly carrying their firearms. You can listen to Mark Walters of USCCA's Armed American Radio interview Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell for more details on the event. Over the years I have also heard multiple first hand accounts of possible criminals who seemed determined to commit a crime as they approached their potential victims, but suddenly turned away when they noticed a holstered firearm.

If you think about it from the point of view of the thugs it makes sense. Why would they want to attack a group of people where they know at least one person is armed for self defense when they can easily find another group of potential victims where all are likely unarmed? Why would they want to significantly increase the odds of being shot by one of their intended victims? Before you say it, yes, there are situations where a crazy person determined to attack a particular location would attack irregardless, shooting at the known armed people first, but that situation is rare relative to the typical crimes committed by criminals who are simply looking for an easy target.

If you do choose to Open Carry, I recommend that you utilize and train with a retention holster. I like the Blackhawk SERPA holsters as they hold your weapon securely, yet allow you to remove your weapon quickly & easily with a little practice. What is your favorite retention holster? Let me know in the comment section.

Learn more about Open Carry at OpenCarry.org.

McDonald vs Chicago

Yesterday was a big day for the Second Amendment at the Supreme Court, where justices heard arguments on both sides of the McDonald vs City of Chicago case on whether or not to incorporate the right to keep and bear arms to protect we the people against existing infringements by State and Local governments. A ruling on this Supreme Court case is expected by Late June or early July.

You can read the transcript and find additional information from Downrange.tv, Arms & the Law, John Lott, and the Volokh Conspiracy. I'll add additional links below as I find them.

Below is a great report from Judge Napalitano with guest John Lott

More links: Scotusblog, CNN Report, PBS Report, Fox Journal, Alex Jones 1/2, Alex Jones 2/2, Daily Caller, Reason TV.