Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 17:09:14 -0700
From: rsrchsoc@ionet.net ("John Wilde")
Subject: [lpaz-discuss] Hanson's SB1297 Response: Now, let's take the initiative
To: AZRKBA@asu.edu ("Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Arizona")
Reply-To: lpaz-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Dave Kopp wrote:
> Problem is, it's unlikely that any of these laws will go away without
> massive civil disobediance. There's just no reason for the people who run
> things to get rid of them otherwise.
This thread has taken some interesting twists and turns this past week.
The point that is clear is that the complaints have turned on the fact that
one more legislator has turned his back on his constituents, claiming to
support the right to self-defense, but willing to compromise and restrict a
citizens right to self-defense.
The legislature is not going to be our friend. The only way we are going
to get the legislature off of its duff, if it is going to happen at all, is if
we offer the people something so ramatically radical that it scares the livin'
s**t out of the legislature and leaves it with no alternative but to take the
state of Arizona Law and move it to no less than Vermont Style.
We must advance the idea ourselves and not simply "lobby" or otherwise deal
with the legislature in hopes that it will recognize that we are right. We
must make it so that the legislature has no choice. To quote L. Neil Smith
from his recent book "Lever Action" we must "[a]lways offer more, within
principle, than the competition can bring itself to offer." (Yes Neil I was
taking notes)
It is within the capacity of just the those on the list of Right to Keep
and Bear Arms in Arizona and all of the other gun and self-defense
organizations to put one or two initiatives on the ballot for the November 2002
general election. The intiatives have been filed and the money raising has
been started. All that is necessary is for you to decide whether a few bucks
and a little time is worth the effort.
The legislature is well aware of these initiatives. The first financial
report for the Committees marshalling these intiatives is not due to be filed
until the end of January 2002. The intiative signatures don't have to be filed
until July 4, 2002. What do you think the legislature would think if it saw
January 2002 financial report that, between the two committees sponsoring the
intiative, a million or more dollars had been raised.
A million dollars!!!! That's a lot of money. NOT!!!. I don't know how many
firearms dealers there ar in this state, but the number is significant enough
that just from them, the million dollars would be possible. But then there are
the 60,000+ CCW permit holders here in Arizona alone. Just $25 on average from
each CCW holder would raise 1.5 million +. So the million is well within the
capacity of this group, if you are willing to work through the summer and early
fall to raise the money. Then we can hire paid circulators and that will get
the issue on the ballot.
Here is the threat that the legislature would face. Let's say the report
shows 1 million plus towards the two initiatives at the end of January. Now
the legislature is going to have to wonder, will they get on the ballot for the
2002 election. If they do, the legislature will realize that they will be cut
out of the formula altogether should the citizens vote to approve them. Since
they can't count on the people to vote against something like that, I suspect
that what will happen is the legislature will work during the 2002 spring
session to eliminate the objections that we have been raising lo these many
years.
For those of you who are not familiar with the initiatives. Why not. I
have only posted press releases and other notices to this group and others at
least a half a dozen times before and after the initiative was file on April
19, 2001. Let me give you the readers digest version.
The constitutional initiative changes the language from "shall not be
impaired" to stating that NO LAW, ORDINANCE OR OTHER ENACTMENT SHALL EVER BE
MADE PROHIBITING OR REGULATING the right of the citizen ...... so forth and so
on.
The legislative initiative (on the off chance the constitutional initiative
fails) will do the following:
Return to a clean preemption. End the requirement for a concealed carry
permit. Prohibit any ability for the government to demand that we "check" in
government buildings. (This one will get their attention). Will permit
carrying in large public places like malls and sports stadiums and arenas and
permit carrying in other places where the business offers a service or product
to the public (grocery stores for example) unless a specific request to check
is made. Will prohibit the maintenance of records on firearms (such as what
Glendale and Tempe do when you "check" your firearm). Will prohibit law
enforcement from disarming a citizen during "routine" questioning or a traffic
stop as long as the citizen informs the officer that he or she is armed before
hand.
As I said these two initiatives are offering "more, within principle, than
the competition can bring itself to offer." So the question you must now ask
and answer, how much time and money is your liberty worth to you? We have an
opportunity to put the legislature in its place. The current initiatives that
have been filed and a 1 million dollar bank by January 31, 2002, will more than
likely send the fence sitters in the legislature scrambling to lessen the blow
of the initiatives. "Vermont Style" is about half way between where rizona
Law is now and what the initiatives have to offer.
I am ready, are you? I hope you will all join us.
g'day
John Wilde
Community email addresses:
Post message: lpaz-discuss@onelist.com
Subscribe: lpaz-discuss-subscribe@onelist.com
Unsubscribe: lpaz-discuss-unsubscribe@onelist.com
List owner: lpaz-discuss-owner@onelist.com
Web site: www.ArizonaLibertarian.org
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://www.onelist.com/community/lpaz-discuss
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://doc.yahoo.com/info/terms/