Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 11:23:57 EST From: freemanaz@aol.com Subject: [lpaz-discuss] Arizona Alert - Offensive on by anti-rights advocates To: lpaz-discuss@yahoogroups.com Cc: CASPYJoy@aol.com, WildxMike@aol.com, Essprsogal@aol.com Reply-To: lpaz-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Subj: Arizona Alert - Offensive on by anti-rights advocates Date: 2/2/01 8:58:24 AM US Mountain Standard Time From: rineer@QuixNet.net (Kenneth Rineer) Reply-to: rineer@QuixNet.net (Kenneth Rineer)
Dear advocate for the right to self defense:
The anti-rights advocates have begun their push to ensure the passage of Arizona Legislatue Senate Bill 1566 (SB 1566). There were articles "informing" the public at large in The Arizona Daily Star and the Arizona Republic earlier this week and now the editorials are urging its passage (below is the editorial in the Arizona Daily Star, February 2, 2001 which is provided for your information/education).
Why am I sending you these updates/action alerts? Because if I don't, you will not be informed and if you do not act, we will lose. We ARE organized and powerful. But without your action, these Arizona legislators will not get the message we wish to convey: Keep your hands off our right to keep and bear arms!
We MUST prevail in this fight as well as others. We have been responsible for getting some GOOD legislation introduced as well.
For example:
1) SB 1268, the "Clean Preemption" bill introduced by Sen. Tim Bee. This bill will strike the amendments added to the preemption bill last year making it "clean" again. This is VERY important in light of the cities of Arizona ignoring state law. The only thing that is needed is a penalty which was written into SB 1268 but it was "inadvertently" removed.
This is what I need you to do:
1) Call your Senator at 1-800-353-8404 (Capitol switchboard). Tell the switchboard operator the name of your senator and they will transfer you. Or, you may call direct by going to:
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/members/45leg/senate.htm
and look up your senator. This page gives you the Senate fax number, each members office phone and each members email address. (bookmark this page, you'll need it a lot this legislative session).
Also, you can email them. Here are the addresses:
45th Legislature, 1st Regular Session Senate Members:
kbennett@az.leg.state.az.us jverkamp@azleg.state.az.us jjackson@azleg.state.az.us jbrown@azleg.state.az.us hguenthe@azleg.state.az.us ldaniel@azleg.state.az.us prios@azleg.state.az.us marzberg@azleg.state.az.us tbee@azleg.state.az.us rvaladez@azleg.state.az.us erichard@azleg.state.az.us thellon@azleg.state.az.us anichols@azleg.state.az.us rsolomon@azleg.state.az.us ecirillo@azleg.state.az.us dhamilto@azleg.state.az.us bburns@azleg.state.az.us sgerard@azleg.state.az.us sbundgaa@azleg.state.az.us mhartley@azleg.state.az.us rbowers@azleg.state.az.us jlopez@azleg.state.az.us laguirre@azleg.state.az.us dmartin@azleg.state.az.us ccummisk@azleg.state.az.us tsmith@azleg.state.az.us hmitchel@azleg.state.az.us rgnant@azleg.state.az.us dpeterse@azleg.state.az.us jblancha@azleg.state.az.us
If you wish, you can cut and paste the following message and email it to your Senator:
Dear Senator:
I wish to take this opportunity to encourage you to support SB 1268, state regulation, firearms. To bill will correct the injustice perpetrated upon law abiding citizens who wish to exercise their civil right to self defense by carrying a firearm.
Is it fair when only some law abiding citizens possess certain civil rights and not others?
This country decided long ago that all are created equal and laws were written to ensure this was the law of the land.
Correct this injustice. Support SB 1268. Allow ALL law abiding firearms owners to carry their firearm for self defense; not just those who possess a concealed carry weapons permit.
Sincerely,
2) HB 2562, the "Right to Carry" bill which was introduced by Rep. Randy Graf. This bill be change Arizona law which makes carrying a firearm concealed without a CCW permit a misdemeanor to a PETTY OFFENSE with a fine not to exceed $50.00. This will make gun owners who choose to carry concealed without a permit subject to a mere traffic offense with a $50.00 fine. This is a step in the right direction!
This bill has not been second read and assigned to committee yet. It was only first read yesterday. I will update you as soon as I know. I can give an educated guess, but it is better to wait. We have time.
3) HB 2347, another "Clean Preemption" bill introduced by Rep. Karen Johnson. Rep. Johnson is a "real trooper" when it comes to our right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, we did not know she was going to introduce her bill before we worked to have similar language introduced in the Senate.
It is important we start in the Senate because this house is the ANTI-GUN house. Democrats as well as Republicans are introducing anti-self defense legislation in the Senate (SB1108, SB1549 & SB1566).
Arizona Daily Star Editorial Tucson, Arizona Friday, 2 February 2001
Tighten gun sales
A bill introduced in the Legislature would require background checks on anyone purchasing a firearm at a private gun show. Senate Bill 1566 requires some modification if it is to be truly effective, but even in its present form it might save a few lives. If it saves just one life -it could be your life - it will be a worthy new law.
Tucsonans should need no reminder of the perils of indiscriminate gun sales. In one of the city's more disturbing cases, a gun purchased at a private gun show was used to kill three employees of an East Side Pizza Hut in January, 1999. That gun had been purchased at a show at the Tucson Community Center. While the city owns that property, it has no legal control over who is allowed to purchase a weapon at a private gun show.
This is not only ludicrous but dangerous. Voters in Colorado and Oregon last November approved initiatives requiring background checks prior to any gun sale in their states. Arizona should follow suit.
The Arizona bill was introduced by Sen. Harry E. Mitchell, a Tempe Democrat, Sen. Chris Cummiskey, a Phoenix Democrat, and Rep. Deb Gullett , a Phoenix Republican. It says before a gun is sold, the seller must get a background check on the buyer from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Under present law, the DPS does national and state background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm from a dealer licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Because the proposed bill does not require that all gun show vendors be licensed by the ATF, it's possible the DPS will be able to do instant background checks only using state records as opposed to the national FBI database.
Some cities - Austin, Texas, for example - require that all gun show vendors be licensed by the ATF, which prevents a dealer from inadvertently selling a weapon to someone who may have a clean record in Texas but a felony conviction in another state. The Arizona bill should be modified to include the same requirement.
The background checks will have no impact on ordinary citizens. When DPS officials make background checks for gun sales, they look through state files for criminal records, outstanding warrants, prison records and sex offender registration. The vendor is never given any details about the individual. The DPS report merely says the sale is approved, denied or delayed - "delayed" usually means there is an arrest record but further research is required to determine the disposition of the case.
Thus, background checks create a filter to help keep guns out of the hands of those who might be dangerous.
Opponents of background checks will no doubt argue, as they have for many years, that criminals will always manage to get guns, and they aren't going to gun shows to purchase them. There may be some truth in that, but we wouldn't try to sell it to the families of the three innocents gunned down in the Pizza Hut killings.
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