Concealed-weapons bills up for vote
185 comments by Alia Beard Rau - Mar. 25, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Proposed legislation that would make Arizona the third state in the nation to allow adults to carry concealed guns without permits may be the first of the dozen or so weapons-related bills proposed this session to hit the governor's desk.
Lawmakers have amended Senate Bill 1108 and House Bill 2347 so they consist of identical language that would, among other things, eliminate the requirement for concealed-carry weapon permits for U.S. citizens 21 and older.
The Senate bill, crafted by Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, was approved Tuesday by the Senate Committee of the Whole and now awaits a vote by the full Senate. The House bill, sponsored by Jim Weiers, R-Glendale, is on the agenda for a vote by the House Committee of the Whole today.
"If you want to carry concealed, and you have no criminal history, you are a good guy, you can do it," Pearce said of his bill. "It's a freedom that poses no threat to the public."
If approved by the Senate, Pearce said his bill will then be substituted for the House bill for a vote by the full House. Because the bills are identical, it can then go directly to the governor.
Only nine states have fewer gun restrictions than Arizona, according to a scorecard released last year by gun-restriction advocates the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Currently, only Vermont and Alaska do not require concealed-carry weapons permits.
Arizona had 153,209 active permits as of March 21. Permit holders are spread across all ages, races and counties, but White males older than 30 in Maricopa and Pima counties hold the majority, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
In 2008, then-Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to have a hidden gun in vehicles without a concealed-carry permit. Gun-rights supporters say their efforts this session will be more successful under Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.
Gun-rights advocates and opponents have voiced concerns about different aspects of the bill.
Several Democrats noted that eliminating the permit requirement also means Arizonans would no longer have to take training classes to carry concealed guns.
Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, said he owns guns and is pro-Second Amendment.
"If you don't know how to use that weapon well, it could easily be taken away from you, and you could be killed with your own gun," Patterson said.
In order to buy a gun, individuals would still need to pass a background check.
Several tweaks have been made to the proposed legislation to address other concerns, particularly from law enforcement. It would now require individuals carrying a concealed gun to notify a law-enforcement officer that they are carrying if they are pulled over for a traffic stop. It also would allow the officer to take temporary custody of the gun during a stop.
"We have reworded it to make it a good balance on freedom and still being tough on the bad guys," Pearce said.
The changes prompted the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police to drop its opposition to the bill. The organization's president, Sahuarita Police Chief John Harris, said the chiefs saw the bill was going to pass anyway so they wanted to ensure it was as favorable as possible.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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