Special Alert To Arizona NRA Members

Shooting Range Protection, SB 1008, will be considered by the full House next week. SB 1008 protects shooting ranges from legal harassment by encroaching development. Range opponents are contacting their representatives regularly. Therefore, it is critical that you call your two Representatives at (602) 542-4221 and request that they actively support SB 1008. You can also E-mail your representatives by using the "Write Your Reps" box at right.

Also, Crime Gun Interdiction legislation will be considered by the full Senate soon. Crime Gun Interdiction language was originally introduced as HB 2589, but was recently attached as an amendment to HB 2329 -- legislation originally pertaining to adoption fees -- at the prompting of the gun control organization that calls itself "Americans for Gun Safety" (AGS). AGS, of course, is infamous for its relentless lobbying efforts to close the non-existent gun show "loophole." The Crime Gun Interdiction provision would require that law enforcement trace all firearms found at crime scenes, even though law enforcement already has this authority and can be trusted to do its job by tracing when appropriate.

If law enforcement already traces firearms as a standard investigatory tool (tracing is mandatorily done in jurisdictions like Phoenix, Mesa and Tucson), one must ask why this bill is being so vigorously pushed by the gun control zealots. There is a clear reason. AGS and other gun control proponents will be back to the Legislature in the future demanding that "loopholes" be closed in order to make these mandated traces more successful. They will ask for the prohibition of private transfers of firearms (the crux of their three year attack on gun shows) so that every single firearm transfer has a "paper trail" for tracing. Then, there is no doubt that the the gun control movement will demand as a "logical next step" licensing and registration. After all, AGS has listed the advocacy of "licensing and registration" as one of its "Six State Priorities."

Call or write your State Senator and tell him/her that this bill has a single strategic purpose—it is a launching pad for future calls for repressive gun control measures in Arizona. Tell them to vote "NO" on the gun control amendment to HB 2329. The phone number is (602) 542-3559. You can also E-mail your senator by using the "Write Your Reps" feature above. Make sure to tell your Representative or Senator that you are a constituent. Each and every communication is critical to the preservation of our firearms freedoms in Arizona.