More on CCW Freedom in AZ – SB 1102

Arizona State Senate Bill 1102  removes language from current legislation that penalizes carrying a concealed weapon with out a CCW permit.

J.D. Tuccille at Examiner.com gives us a simple run down:

Arizona already allows open carry — carrying a firearm in plain view — without a permit, and is a “must-issue” state in which carry permits are readily available to people with a clean record who satisfy basic requirements. But it’s not uncommon for un-permitted Arizonans to tuck guns in their pockets when stepping out for a hike, to run dogs or for other purposes, and so risk criminal penalties for a victimless act if caught. That has prompted legislators to consider following in the footsteps of Vermont and Alaska, states which don’t require carry permits and have seen little in the way of a downside from removing one pitfall among many from the lawbooks. [full article]

This makes a lot of sense to me. Am I really a different person after taking an 8 hour class to get a CCW? Once my permit expires, if I don’t renew; all of the sudden I am breaking the law if I conceal. I think that is pretty ridiculous. As a gun owner, it is my responsibility to know how to handle a firearm, and when and where to use it. It is also my responsibility to know the laws pertaining to self defense and must be willing to accept any consequences that may come about if forced to use my weapon in a self defense situation. The .gov thinks I am capable of being responsible and making appropriate decisions by passing me through NICS, and the state obviously trusts me to openly carry my firearm, but currently if unpermitted; hiding it makes me a criminal.

Then you have the run of the mill gungrabbers who think all of the sudden the state is going to turn into the Wild West. Let me tell you, more people are armed now than you might realize. If the number of armed, law abiding people on the streets dirt horse paths of Arizona are any indication to whether we can be considered the Wild West or not; let me be the first to tell you, welcome to the 1880s Arizona Territory.

David Codrea of The War on Guns and Examiner.com writes:

Here’s what I want to either add or reiterate, particularly in light of the absurd and insulting claim by police chief lobbyist John Thomas that “SB 1102, if enacted into law, will take Arizona back to the Wild West carry, with no consideration of officer safety.”

Wild West gun fights typically took place between openly-carrying gunslingers–and non-permitted open carry is legal in Arizona. When was the last time two opponents walked down Main Street to fast draw against each other à la High Noon? [full article]

I’d like to ad that our streets would probably be safer if things were more like the Wild West. Someone once said “an armed society is a polite society”, I happen to believe that. If we look back to the Tuccille article we find:

Historians might note that Arizona should be so lucky — several studies have found the “Wild West” to have lower crime rates than modern America. In Gunfighters, Highwaymen & Vigilantes, author Roger D. McGrath, a professor of history, referring to the “rough” mining towns he researched, wrote, “Bodie’s rates of robery, burglary and theft were dramatically lower than those of most U.S. cities  in 1980.” He added, “Aurora and Bodie women, other than prostitutes, suffered little from crime or violence.” Not to minimize the crimes suffered by women in the sex trade, but women in that socially and legally stigmatized business continue to suffer more severely from crime than other women.

You can find more writing from both J.D. Tuccille and David Codrea at Examiner.com, and at their blogs Disloyal Opposition (Tuccille) and The War on Guns (Codrea).

Related Posts:

• Training
• Right vs. Privilege
• The Wild West
• An Excellent Article on Constitutional Carry
• Another Firearms Instructor Throws the Constitution Under the Bus