WINSTON THE WOLF
Moderator
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0528vetoes0528.html
Matthew Benson
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2008 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano on Tuesday vetoed a pair of proposals to expand gun rights in Arizona, arguing the measures would have needlessly put law enforcement and the public at risk.
Senate Bill 1106, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, would have created a state-issued, concealed-weapon permit valid for a lifetime. Under current law, a gun owner must renew the permit every five years, and each time undergo a new criminal background check.
"The concept of lifetime validity for a concealed-weapons permit is unwise public policy," Napolitano, a Democrat, wrote in a letter that accompanied her veto. advertisement
She noted that state licenses for food-service workers in Arizona are valid for only three years, after which chefs, waiters, bartenders and dishwashers must take a new exam on food safety to renew their licenses.
"If we believe protecting the public from food poisoning is important enough to require re-testing and renewal," she said, "it is impossible to justify a lifetime permit for the carrying of a concealed weapon."
National Rifle Association of America lobbyist Todd Rathner called fears concerning permit holders overblown, noting that such individuals are statistically some of the least likely to commit a crime.
There are more than 100,000 permit holders in Arizona, he said, and less than 1 percent have had their permits revoked.
But Rathner did say that "there are strong arguments inside the pro-gun community" on both sides of SB 1106. That's because the measure may have made Arizona concealed-weapon permits invalid in other states and because holders of the new lifetime permit would have had to undergo a background check each time they attempted to purchase a firearm from a dealer.
Napolitano rejected a second gun-related measure, House Bill 2629, that would have allowed an individual to announce that he or she has a weapon or brandish it in instances when a "reasonable person would believe that physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself."
The governor said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, would have escalated verbal disputes. "No one wants a war of words to escalate into a battle of bullets," Napolitano said.
Rathner countered that HB 2629 was intended for situations when an individual feels threatened but isn't in imminent danger. He said that the announcement or defensive display of a weapon on those occasions generally cools, rather than escalates, the tensions.
Work is under way already to revive the measure's main provisions through an amendment, Rathner said.
Matthew Benson
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2008 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano on Tuesday vetoed a pair of proposals to expand gun rights in Arizona, arguing the measures would have needlessly put law enforcement and the public at risk.
Senate Bill 1106, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, would have created a state-issued, concealed-weapon permit valid for a lifetime. Under current law, a gun owner must renew the permit every five years, and each time undergo a new criminal background check.
"The concept of lifetime validity for a concealed-weapons permit is unwise public policy," Napolitano, a Democrat, wrote in a letter that accompanied her veto. advertisement
She noted that state licenses for food-service workers in Arizona are valid for only three years, after which chefs, waiters, bartenders and dishwashers must take a new exam on food safety to renew their licenses.
"If we believe protecting the public from food poisoning is important enough to require re-testing and renewal," she said, "it is impossible to justify a lifetime permit for the carrying of a concealed weapon."
National Rifle Association of America lobbyist Todd Rathner called fears concerning permit holders overblown, noting that such individuals are statistically some of the least likely to commit a crime.
There are more than 100,000 permit holders in Arizona, he said, and less than 1 percent have had their permits revoked.
But Rathner did say that "there are strong arguments inside the pro-gun community" on both sides of SB 1106. That's because the measure may have made Arizona concealed-weapon permits invalid in other states and because holders of the new lifetime permit would have had to undergo a background check each time they attempted to purchase a firearm from a dealer.
Napolitano rejected a second gun-related measure, House Bill 2629, that would have allowed an individual to announce that he or she has a weapon or brandish it in instances when a "reasonable person would believe that physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself."
The governor said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, would have escalated verbal disputes. "No one wants a war of words to escalate into a battle of bullets," Napolitano said.
Rathner countered that HB 2629 was intended for situations when an individual feels threatened but isn't in imminent danger. He said that the announcement or defensive display of a weapon on those occasions generally cools, rather than escalates, the tensions.
Work is under way already to revive the measure's main provisions through an amendment, Rathner said.
