BY LINDA BENTLEY | JANUARY 19, 2011
Firearm and self-defense bills worth tracking
‘The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired …’
PHOENIX – Rep. Jack Harper, R-Dist. 4, has introduced four bills this session that are supported by the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL).
HB 2001 would allow faculty members of colleges and universities, who possess a concealed carry weapon permit (CCW) to discreetly carry a firearm on campus.
AzCDL requested and supports HB 2006, which would repeal A.R.S. 17-305, prohibiting the carrying of firearms and “game-taking devices” in game refuges.
It also requested and supports HB 2014, which prohibits college and university administrators from creating or enforcing a policy or rule that prevents CCW holders from discreetly carrying a firearm on campus.
HB 2140, also requested and supported by AzCDL, prohibits rental/lease agreements and home owner association documents from requiring a person to “waive or forego any fundamental right guaranteed under Article II” of the Arizona Constitution, which includes under Section 26, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired …” amongst numerous other provisions many of which mirror those found in the U.S. Constitution.
Another bill, HB 2017, introduced by Rep. John Kavanaugh, R-Dist. 8, clarifies and expands the actions a property owner, tenant, employer or business must take in order to ban firearms from vehicles on their property.
While it supports HB 2017, AzCDL says it needs further modification.
Rep. David Burnell Smith, R-Dist. 7, has also introduced a couple of bills requested and supported by AzCDL.
HB 2145 clarifies in A.R.S. 13-421(B)3 that defensive display includes placing a hand on a holstered firearm.
HB 2146 removes the burden from the Department of Public Safety to approve all CCW training courses, training organizations and instructors by allowing instructors, safety training courses and classes to alternatively be certified by the National Rifle Association.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Dist. 15, introduced SB 1060, which AzCDL opposes.
SB 1060 adds Section 13-3121 to the criminal code, making both retail and private fraudulent firearms sales a racketeering crime.
According to AzCDL, fraudulent is so broadly defined it would effectively eliminate all private sales.
