AZ Gun Owners Make Significant Gains

Arizona Gun Owners Make Significant Gains in
2006 Legislative Session!


The Arizona State Legislature has wrapped-up its 2006 legislative session and gun owners and sportsmen should be happy with the outcome. The following is a synopsis of Second Amendment advancements in The Grand Canyon State:

HB 2074

Eliminated the two-hour course required for the renewal of concealed weapons permits. This makes Arizona one of the vast majority of states that does not require a renewal course. Specifies that all of the concealed weapons permits from the 47 other issuing states are to be recognized in Arizona. This makes the permit law in Arizona consistent with the law requiring the recognition of driver licenses from all other states in the country.

HB 2076

Required government entities to comply with a law passed in 2000 that mandates that they store firearms for citizens who are legally carrying firearms when possession is prohibited in government facilities. The storage is to be readily accessible to citizens within the facility where firearms possession is prohibited. This ensures that citizens are able to protect themselves to and from their vehicles and that they are not required to store their firearms in vehicles where they might be stolen.

SB 1145

Returned the self-defense justification law to its status prior to 1997 in Arizona. After a change to statute requested by the prosecutors in 1997 until SB 1145 was enacted this year, citizens forced to act in self-defense were presumed guilty of committing a violent crime until they proved their own innocence by a preponderance of the evidence. This runs contrary to the American system of justice -- a citizen is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This NRA-backed bill requires the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that citizens did not act with justification. SB 1145 also enacted the Castle Doctrine, a law enhancing the citizens' right to defend themselves from violent attacks.

Game and Fish Commission Nominee

After strong support from the NRA in the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Jennifer Martin has been appointed by the Governor to fill a seat on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Ms. Martin replaces Commissioner Hays Gilstrap, the Commissioner who led the NRA-opposed effort to consider the sale of the world-renowned Ben Avery Shooting Facility north of Phoenix. Commissioner Martin has the best interests of sportsmen in mind and will prove to be an enormous asset on the Commission.

A special thank you to all NRA members for your calls and emails
in support of these bills during the legislative session!