The Arizona Constitutional Carry legislation, SB 1108, goes into effect July 29, 2010. I am a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, and I am also a NRA certified firearms instructor, as well as DPS approved CCW instructor. I personally feel that instead of enacting a new law to replace the old (unconstitutional) law, the legislature should have just repealed the old law. There should have been nothing restricting the right to keep and bear arms in the first place; requiring a permit is a method of restriction. Needless to say, I’m still pleased with the intent of the legislature in the passage of the law that permits constitutional carry in Arizona. There is much controversy over this law and it would seem there are many positive, as well as negative, potential outcomes. So, here is my quick list of what I feel could be positive/negative consequences:
Positives:
* Arizona residents will no longer be subject to criminal penalties for any inadvertent concealment of an openly carried firearm.
* Arizona residents will no longer be required to attend training or pay a permit fee in order to carry a concealed firearm.
* Crime rates will probably drop significantly as a result of the new law. Criminals will not be able to tell who is carrying.
* Greater percentage of the population will be able to carry concealed firearms.
* Arizona will become a front-runner leading the way for ‘constitutional carry’ in other states.
* Successful implementation of constitutional carry in Arizona could provide support for national concealed carry legislation.
Negatives
* Lack of a training requirement means that innocent law abiding citizens may inadvertently violate the law because they have not been properly trained. Likewise, the inappropriate or unjustified use of deadly force could result in lifetime consequences that could have been easily avoided if they were properly trained in the legalities of firearms use.
* There are over 1,800 CCW instructors in the state of Arizona. A vast majority of them will lose a significant amount business.
* Because there is a live shooting element in the CCW, shooting ranges will lose a chunk of revenue as well. To make up the difference, ranges may increase usage fees or possibly shutdown because they are under-utilized.
I’m sure there are other pros and cons. Leave a comment with your thoughts.
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2 Responses to Arizona Constitutional Carry
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The author makes a good point about repealing instead of writing new legislation that supersedes existing law. Basic firearms training should be a requirement for everyone but could be difficult to implement and enforce.
[...] am a firearms instructor for concealed carry permits and NRA courses. Although Arizona has a “constitutional carry” law that allows people to carry concealed firearms without a permit, many people still take [...]