Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

Is That A Gun In Your Pocket…

Posted on | April 13, 2010 | 3 Comments

UPDATE: She signed it

I’ve been intending to write this post for weeks. Finally realized the bill will be signed, or not, very soon. Guess I should get something out there.

At issue, a bill is headed to the Governor’s desk that would change our current “open carry, shall issue” state to an “open carry, concealed carry” state. This doesn’t alter who can purchase or carry a firearm. We aren’t suddenly looking at guns being offered in vending machines at the local arcade. Simply put, you can currently carry your legally purchased firearm virtually anywhere in the state. If you want to wear a coat, you have to either make sure it doesn’t fall across your gun, or you have a concealed carry license. This bill simply says, if you are a legal gun owner, you can carry it on your waist, in your pocket, in your purse…no extra licensing required.

In Arizona, getting your CCW license involves taking, and passing, a class. You must fire at a target that you are standing very close to with roughly 70% accuracy. You must be fingerprinted and pass a background check. You must pay a small fee, currently $60 for 5 years. You do not need to prove an imminent threat – or any threat – to get your license as you do in some states (I’m looking at you California)

I am in favor of this bill, and I hope Governor Brewer will sign it. I am surprised it made it this far, simply because of the revenue stream it produces, small though it may be. Arizona will still offer the CCW for those who want the additional benefits it offers: reciprocity with other states and purchasing weapons with slightly less time & paperwork, for instance.

I have heard two arguments against (Well, only two reasonable arguments. I’ve heard a lot of “it’ll be madness! Mayhem! Gun fights on every corner! Blood running in the streets!”)

The first, offered by Capitalist Pig, is that having the CCW requirement gives law enforcement an extra tool to deal with the bad guys. That argument is not without merit, of course (see Al Capone/tax evasion). However, I cannot condone the passing or maintaining of additional laws to make up for gaps in enforcement of other laws. There are already plenty of laws that should get & keep the bad guys off our streets. That the current political climate makes it difficult to enforce and/or prosecute those laws is no excuse for enacting new ones that infringe on law abiding citizens’ rights. Rather than relying on a CCW license restriction, rather than forcing the legislative branch to constantly add to the already bloated statutes, perhaps the judicial branch should look into how to make the other laws stick.

Also being convincingly argued, getting a CCW requires getting some education. In a perfect world, anyone who intends to own and carry a gun would get some sort of tactical and marksmanship training, but that doesn’t mean we should mandate it. As far as the current “education” requirement to obtain a CCW, it is almost laughable. Eight hours that offered less actual instruction than traffic school. If you pay your money, they are going to ensure you “pass” the course. I see no reason to say that the difference between putting a gun inside your waistband or out should be determined by a person’s willingness to spend a day in a classroom and nothing more. If you can legally carry a gun, you should be able to carry that gun in the most efficient manner.

After all, this moron wasn’t trying to conceal his gun – you can’t legislate away the stupid.

UPDATE: D is against this bill because we already got our CCWs and he doesn’t want us to have wasted our money. LOL



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Category: AZ, Boom, Law, politics

Comments

3 Responses to “Is That A Gun In Your Pocket…”

  1. CapitalistPig
    April 13th, 2010 @ 7:30 pm

    Now that it has passed, I hope Jan signs it.

    I’m glad that my CCW will still have reciprocity and the money spent for the CCW isn’t wasted. At the rate some people buy Taraus pistols, the time saved during checkout is money well spent! 😉

    Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell linked to this funny Daily Show video on open carry.

  2. Vox
    April 14th, 2010 @ 12:15 pm

    Just doing my part to stimulate the economy. One caliber at a time 🙂

  3. ExurbanKevin
    April 15th, 2010 @ 10:48 am

    I like the fact that it is Alaska-style (permits issued for them that wants them) versus Vermont-style carry (Permit? What’s that?). That way, those of us who do have a license can carry in restaurants and travel out-of-state with our firearms where there is reciprocity.

    And even though it’ll soon be not required, getting a CCW is a good thing because it helps instill the idea that a great deal of responsibility comes with the right of carrying a firearm.

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