FREEDOM Bursts Upon the Citizens of Arizona !

Arizona's concealed-weapon law takes effect
by Kevin Kiley - Jul. 29, 2010
The Arizona Republic
Today is the day gun-rights advocates have had in their sights
for a long time.
Starting today, Arizona residents at least 21 years old can carry
a concealed weapon without a license.



The change is part of a broad weapons law by state Sen. Russell Pearce
passed by the state Legislature in April that eases restrictions on
concealed carry and stiffens penalties for committing a crime
while carrying a concealed weapon.

The law is one of many passed by the state Legislature this past
session that go into effect today.

Arizona joins Alaska and Vermont to allow concealed weapons without a license.

However, the impact of the law is likely to be different in
Arizona than those states because Arizona's population is much
larger and because the state has major metropolitan areas.

"It's one thing to carry a loaded weapon in public when your
closest neighbor is 5 miles away," said Brian Malte, director of
state legislation for the Brady Campaign, an interest
group that lobbies for gun regulations. "It's a very different
situation when you're in a densely-populated urban environment"
but that lack of precedent makes it difficult to predict the law's impact.

Opponents say that without licensing and training, individuals might
place themselves in situations where they might break the law or
hurt themselves and others.

Proponents say that concealed carry is not substantially different
than open carry, which the state already allows without a license,
and that the new law simply lets law-abiding citizens carry weapons
in whatever way is most comfortable.

The law has already created changes for the firearms community,
local businesses and police departments. It has also galvanized
gun-rights groups to seek further deregulation.

Concealed carry

The law's passage is the culmination of several years of political
maneuvering to ease gun regulations in Arizona.
During her time as governor, Janet Napolitano vetoed at least a
dozen different weapons bills - several similar to the law going
into effect today - that would have eased restrictions on gun owners
but Ms. Napolitano's departure and the appointment of Governor Jan Brewer
in January 2009 gave the Legislature and gun-rights groups an ally
in the executive office. Governor Brewer signed the law April 16.

Last year, legislators passed a law allowing concealed-weapon
license holders to enter bars and restaurants.

In Arizona's nearly 100-year history as a state, lawmakers have
done little to restrict individuals' freedom to carry weapons openly.
Proponents of the new law argue that open carry has not had any
impact on public safety or gun violence and that concealed carry
without a license won't alter that.

"It's really just a matter of preference," said Rachel Parsons,
a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association. "If a woman
wants to carry her gun in her purse, she should be free to do that
as easily as carrying it on her hip" but opponents of the law say
that concealed carry creates a different environment that could
land untrained individuals in trouble.

"If a weapon is not concealed, you're aware of a potential
problem and it's easier to avoid it," said Arnold Rudley,
a gun owner who took a license course on July 17. "With concealed
carry, the knowledge of a potential problem goes away and you
might walk into a bad situation without knowing it."

What changes

The law makes several changes to the licensing process and rules
of concealed carry:
• It removes the requirement that individuals have a license
to carry a concealed weapon anywhere that open carry is allowed.
Individuals will still need a license to carry a concealed
weapon in bars and restaurants and to qualify for reciprocal rights
when in states that require licenses.
• The new law lets individuals obtain licenses through means
other than the eight-hour training course mandated under the
previous law. These other means include any NRA firearms- or
safety-training course and a hunter-education course administered
by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
• It requires individuals to answer honestly if police ask if they
are carrying a weapon. The law also allows police officers to
take temporary custody of a weapon during stops.
• It stiffens penalties for individuals who commit crimes while
carrying a concealed weapon.

Effects

The law's provisions have already reached into the firearms community,
local businesses and law-enforcement offices.
Local companies that offer the training course for licenses have
seen business drop about 80 percent since the law was signed,
said David White, owner and instructor of Desert West Firearms
Training Center in Mesa.

Many of these companies have either lowered their prices or
created new, shorter courses to get gun owners to conduct some
training before carrying concealed weapons.

Several instructors said that although they support the right to
carry weapons without restrictions, they think gun owners should
be responsible enough to seek out training.

They say there are complex laws regarding the use of force.
Without any training, they say, individuals could wind up breaking the law.
"I get people coming through my door all the time who know
absolutely nothing about the use of force," said Doug Little, who
owns and teaches at Armed Personal Defense Institute in Scottsdale.
"It's important for them to understand the laws and consequences
before they drop that thing in their pocket."

Local law-enforcement offices have discussed the new law with
patrol officers, but a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department
said officers have not gone through any special training.

Businesses outside the firearms community have also adjusted to
the new law. Under a 2009 law, bars and restaurants wishing to
ban firearms must post signs at their entrances to notify patrons.

The Department of Liquor Licensing and Control, which
distributes the signs, has seen as many requests for the signs in
the past 3 months as it saw since the law went into effect in October.

What's next

Gun-rights advocates see the new law as a major victory in their
push to further deregulate the carrying of weapons.

Some provisions of the law were removed as the bill wound its
way through the Legislature. Advocacy groups said they will pick
up the fight next year to have those provisions passed.