Arizona Joins Elite CCW Group
In mid-April, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a bill allowing state citizens to legally carry a concealed weapon, without needing to obtain a permit. “I believe this legislation
not only protects the Second Amendment rights of Arizona citizens,
but restores those rights as well,” she said in a statement. Arizona
becomes the third state in the U.S. to allow CCW without a special
permit, after Vermont and Alaska. The law also requires a citizen
to inform a police officer of a hidden firearm if asked, and gives the
officer authority to take the gun temporarily while talking with the
person.
Some higher-ranking police officials expressed concern, but
the law has been supported by police unions and rank-and-file officers. The new legislation renders obsolete the current penalty (fine
of up to $2,500 and jail time up to six months) for carrying a hidden
firearm without a permit. Illinois and Wisconsin currently do not allow any CCW, and the remaining 45 states require a permit.
OK Governor
Torpedoes Firearms Freedom Bill
In late May, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry vetoed his state’s version of the Firearms Freedom Act, which would have exempted firearms and ammunition manufactured and sold in-state
from federal oversight. The bill went back to the state Senate, but
failed to garner the necessary 36 votes to override the veto, gaining
only 28 votes in favor of the bill and 16 against.
“I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and have
earned an A rating from the NRA,” said Henry, “but this legislation
does nothing to protect an individual’s right to bear arms. What it
does do is endanger citizens and law enforcement officers. It abol-
ishes common sense regulations like background checks and gives
criminals easy access to a wide array of weapons. This law would
harm Oklahomans, not protect them.”
Henry also vetoed a bill that would have allowed open-carry of
handguns, and attempts to override this veto also failed.
AZ, NH Set New Bar for Knife Rights
At the end of April, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the Knife Law Preemption Act. It prohibits any political subdivi-
sion in the state from making any “ordinance, rule or tax relating to
the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase,
gift, devise, licensing, registration or use of a knife or knife making
components.”
In May, New Hampshire Governor signed the landmark Knife
Rights Bill into law, effectively removing all restrictions on the types
of knives and blades allowable under the law, including those com-
monly known as switchblades, stilettos, dagger, and dirks. The
legislation had been introduced by State Representative Jennifer
Coffey after she realized that a tool she had been seeking for a
particular application, enabling one-handed automatic blade exten-
sion, was illegal to purchase. Further investigation showed that the
law was only selectively enforced, and the legislation went through
the state Assembly and Senate with little difficulty.
Doug Ritter, chairman of Knife Rights, Inc., expressed his belief
that New Hampshire is the first state to enact a complete repeal of
all knife restrictions. “It makes a clear statement that people in this
great country are fed up with irrational and illogical laws that restrict
them for no good reason,” he told the New Hampshire Union Leader.
“It is a real statement that this is a country where freedom counts,
where we don’t penalize honest, law-abiding folks just because
some people have an emotional reaction against something.”
Young Guns:
Oregon Youths Enjoy “Safari” — In early June, the Central Oregon
Shooting Sports Association held its fifth Youth Safari Challenge, in which youngsters from age five through 19 experienced a variety of shooting and mock-hunt-ing events. Younger participants tried their hand at the 22 rimfire “varmint” shoot
and BB gun “warthog” event, while teens tried “wingshooting,” cowboy lever-action rifle, and archery “antelope.” The annual challenge is hosted by the High
Desert Safari Club, and co-sponsors included the Bend chapter of the Oregon
Hunters Association and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
