Lucky AZ Gun Owners!

How many of you have wished your state had gun laws as awesome as Arizona? I bet a lot if not all of you have. Now ask yourself, what would it take to get similar laws enacted in your state. I can tell you without hesitation what it takes. It takes the organization of gun rights owners like you. In Arizona the organization doing the heavy lifting is the Arizona Citizens Defense League. This is an awesome organization responsible for the majority of bill recently passed. If you are an Arizona gun enthusiast and not a member join now. If you are not an Arizona resident look for similar organizations in your state and get behind them.


Look, the bottom line is the left wants to limit or take away your constitutional right to “keep and bear arms”. If you don’t get involved we may be the last generation to have enjoyed this right deemed critical to a free society by our founders. This is a plea to all to get involved and start supporting your state gun rights organizations.

Below is a small sample of recent victories. The Arizona Citizens Defense League was instrumental in the introduction and/or passage of the legislation listed below:

Your Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Constitutional Carry - Restoration of the right of law-abiding adults to carry openly or discreetly without first seeking written permission from the government via a “permit .”
Prohibiting state and local government officials from confiscating lawfully held firearms during a state of emergency.
Strengthened state preemption of firearm and knife laws.
Requiring state and local government buildings or events that prohibit weapons to provide temporary and secure storage that is readily accessible on entry and permits immediate retrieval upon exit.
Prohibiting the courts from ordering the forfeiture of a firearm when a person is convicted of carrying in a state or local building where weapons are banned.
Prohibiting political subdivisions (counties, cities, towns, etc.) from requiring or maintaining de facto registration records of firearms, or their owners, related to the temporary storage process.
Preventing private or public employers, property owners, and others from banning firearms in a locked vehicle.
Prohibiting firearms seized by law enforcement from being scrapped. They must now be sold to authorized dealers.
Repealing the prohibition on carrying a firearm in a game refuge.
Allow possession of otherwise “prohibited” weapon (i.e., for self-defense) while hunting.
Expanding the places where a weapon can be carried without a CCW permit in a vehicle to include a “map pocket.” (superseded by Constitutional Carry law).

Self Defense

Restoration (in 2006) of “innocent until proven guilty” in self-defense situations that was taken away in 1997.
Strengthening the elements of justification for the use of force.
Castle Doctrine strengthened.
Clarification that a person has no duty to retreat in any place they have a right to be.
Establishment of a justification for the defensive display of a firearm.
Adding the presumption, in certain civil actions, that a victim acted reasonably when using physical or deadly force.

Concealed Weapon (CCW) Permits

Article 2, Section 26 of the 1912 Arizona Constitution states that your right to bear arms “shall not be impaired.” In 1990, a state appellate court ruled that is was not an “impairment” to restrict concealed (discreet) carry.

In 1994, the Arizona legislature, instead of simply affirming your right to carry openly or discreetly, decided that if you expected your clothing to cover your firearm, you were required to undergo 16 hours of training, followed by a written and shooting test, in order to request the privilege to carry discreetly, but only for 4 years. After that, you were required to attend another 4 hours of training, pass another test, and submit another set of fingerprints. The process had to be repeated every 4 years.

CCW permit training could only be obtained from instructors approved by the Department of Public Safety who, via administrative rulings, declared that training had an expiration date and could only be conducted in Arizona.

Keep in mind that in Arizona, no permit is required for open carry, which is Constitutionally protected, and does not require training, testing, fingerprinting or applications.

Since AzCDL was formed in 2005, we have steadily worked to improve your ability to obtain and keep a CCW permit, ultimately leading to the passage of Constitutional Carry, making the CCW permit optional for discreet carry. The following are highlights of our achievements:
Lengthening the permit period from 4 years to 5 years.
Reduction of the initial 16 hour training requirement to 8 hours.
Elimination of the fingerprint and training requirements for CCW permit renewals.
Expansion of training experiences that qualify for a CCW permit.
Universal recognition, by Arizona, of concealed weapon/handgun permits held by residents of other states.
Preventing law enforcement from confiscating a firearm from someone with a suspended permit if it is otherwise lawfully possessed.
Reduction of the penalty for not having your CCW permit in your possession, when required, from a Class 2 Misdemeanor to a Petty Offense.
Passage of Constitutional Carry in 2010, making the permit optional for carrying discreetly in Arizona.

Hunting

Allow possession of otherwise “prohibited” weapon (i.e., for self-defense) while hunting.
Expansion of the definition of Hunter Harassment.
Use of sound suppressors allowed when hunting.
Magazine capacity cannot be limited by Game and Fish Commission.



Like I said get involved so all Americans can enjoy these rights like the luck citizens in Arizona.

Please visit the Arizona Citizens Defense League today, and join, or volunteer.

http://www.azcdl.org

SOURCE: CITIZENS DEFENSE