On April 16 of last year Governor Jan Brewer singed SB 1108. This outrages bill, that eliminates the law that makes it illegal to carry a concealed weapon, took effect July 29, 2010. The law now states that anyone is allowed to carry a hidden gun without having a CCW (Concealed-Carry Weapons permit) as long as you are not a convicted felon and are 21 years of age. The date of the singing of this bill coincidently is on the anniversary of the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech. A gunman killed 32 students before turning the gun on himself. Mesa republican senator Russell Pearce, the architect of this bill said that’s only appropriate. "Somebody could have saved those students if it had not been for government restrictions," said Pearce referring to the massacre as "the result of gun laws that restrict citizens." I do not see how a more liberal view on gun laws could have prevented this and how the ability to conceal a weapon could have saved the students.
Adults in Arizona have always been allowed to carry a sidearm openly, as long as they were 21 years of age and had no felonies. It was only in 1994 when you had the right to conceal a firearm but even then you had to have a state-issued permit. To get a state-issued permit one would have to pass a one-day course on state gun laws, as well as the handling and safety of your weapon. But the most important requirement was that you were subjected to a background check. Now, when you buy a pistol you are put through a background check as well. However, this is just to see if you have been convicted as a felon. It is no were near as extensive as the background check you go through to get a CCW (the state-issued permit).
With this new law, anyone, regardless of their mental stability can not only buy a weapon, but now legally can conceal it. Put this same person through a CCW class and their background check may not allow them to get this permit due to a mental instability, thus saving the life of an innocent or a police officer.
Big opposition comes from the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police lobbyist John Thomas. Thomas told lawmakers that this law "will take Arizona back to the Wild West…..with no consideration of officer safety." The latter is a bit of an exaggeration, and although we may not be living in the Wild West and the streets won’t run red with blood it will put people and especially police officers at a higher risk.
The Purists may argue, including Gov. Brewer that any restriction on gun laws is in violation of our Second Amendment rights. "I believe this legislation not only protects the Second Amendment rights of Arizona citizens, but restores those rights as well," said Brewer in a prepared statement. This is not only a gross misinterpretation of the Second Amendment but also takes advantage of it. The Second Amendment, as passed by Congress says this: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." You must remember that the Second Amendment was adopted in 1791 with the rest of the Bill of Rights. The kind of arms they were bearing at that time was one shot muzzle loading rifles and swords. There is no way that James Madison could have foreseen our technological advances in weapons as he drafted the Bill of Rights. The simple fact is that the Second Amendment does not say what weapons you can have and whether or not you can hide them.
Although I believe that we all have the right to own a firearm, I also believe that this right is accompanied by a tremendous responsibility. A big part of this responsibility is knowledge. Without the knowledge of how to operate your weapon, how to keep your weapon safe, and the state laws problems will arise.
