Author Topic: Governor vetoes bill on lifelong concealed-weapon permit  (Read 1951 times)

ericire12

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http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0528vetoes0528.html


Quote

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.

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.

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."
 
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