As noted in Tyler Montague’s post on Sonoran Alliance, there is quite a bit of debate about Arizona Senate Bill 1474. SB1474 would allow Arizona concealed weapons permit holders to carry on state college campuses, rather than leaving their weapons in their cars, where the risk of weapons theft is high. The bill even allows campuses to prohibit firearms in buildings. If colleges wish to prohibit carry by law abiding citizens, they must provide a safe storage locker and appropriate signage.
ASU President Michael Crow, who opposes the bill, has threatened to waste millions of dollars on needless lockers, signs, and additional security if SB 1474 is passed. Wasting $13 million for a false sense of security might be a good reason to replace the president of a university, but Arizona should not allow itself to be blackmailed by threats of retaliatory wasteful spending.
A Warped Imagination
President Crow wants people to, “imagine a crowded college lecture hall in which one student pulls a handgun and fires a shot, then a dozen more students untrained in the use of firearms and how to handle potentially deadly situations all pull out their guns.”
Mr. Crow asks you to imagine, because such a tragic event has never happened. He also wants you to suspend reality and imagine that training is not required in order to qualify for a concealed carry permit. Despite Mr. Crow’s imagination, Arizona requires permit holders to have a minimum amount of training in weapons use and how to respond to, or avoid deadly encounters.
Mr. Crow also wants people to imagine that police SWAT teams will be shooting innocent students in order to “take out everyone with a gun.” This is an extremely absurd scenario! Arizona Department of Public Safety officers, Phoenix Police officers, Arizona Game and Fish officers, and virtually every law enforcement department in the state of Arizona regularly deals with armed, law abiding, Arizona citizens without killing “everyone with a gun.”
Campus Police Chiefs
Campus Police Chiefs were even willing to denigrate their own officers during testimony before an Arizona Senate committee. Some chiefs explained that studies show that 85% of shots fired during officer involved shootings miss their intended targets, while reinforcing the view that officers will recklessly kill innocents. I hope those Campus Police Chiefs were merely supporting their campus management’s hyperbolic opposition. Otherwise, those chiefs should be replaced and funds should immediately be allocated for training campus police so they have the same level of competency as the rest of Arizona’s Peace Officers.
Police cannot be everywhere, you are your own first responder.
Even ASU has noted a Department of Justice study that found: “About 3% of coeds are raped during each academic year. Over the course of 5 calendar years, including summers and vacations, 20-25% may be raped.” Even with this level of victimization, ASU President Michael Crow lobbies to keep students defenseless. Surely, rape disrupts the educational process more than a law-abiding gun owner ever could.
At the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, the murderer’s spree went unchallenged for two and a half hours. As a result of “gun free zone” policies on the Virginia Tech campus, the murderer was able to kill students for 2.5 hours. He even had time to return to his room to reload, then go across campus to continue his spree completely unchallenged.
“I feel our campuses are still vulnerable. Anyone can wander onto our campus at any time. I’ve had people wander into my classes I have no idea who they are, even since 2007.”
Is a Concealed Weapons Permit Good Enough?
DPS data shows that there are currently 163,425 concealed weapons permit holders in Arizona. From September 8, 1994 to February 26, 2012 only 1,115 permits have been revoked for any reason. Even if those revocations were just for the last year, the revocations would only amount to 0.68 percent of current permits. These revocations do not represent actual mishaps, and in some cases, a revoked permit may be reinstated.
When traveling outside of Arizona, an Arizona concealed weapons permit is recognized and accepted by 35 other states. This level of concealed weapons permit reciprocity suggests that our current permit training requirements are more than adequate to address public safety concerns, while allowing the individual the choice to pursue additional firearms training that fits their time, financial constraints, and training needs.
Clarity
President Crow’s imagination is unsupported by facts, which is why he cannot provide any incidents that substantiate his fears. Despite the claims to the contrary, Senate Bill 1474 allows people to protect themselves while addressing legitimate safety concerns.
People have a right to self-defense and a right to bear arms. Imaginary events are a completely inadequate reason to deprive law abiding adults of their constitutional rights. In this bill, Senator Ron Gould has addressed the concerns that were expressed about similar legislation last year. Senate Bill 1474 merely allows adult citizens, over 21, who have had firearms training, submitted to fingerprinting, and passed a criminal background check to qualify for, and obtain, a valid concealed weapons permit to lawfully carry when they set foot on the soil of a college campus. The same right they already have elsewhere in the state.
Welcome to M14 National Monument, please keep your head down and stay with the group. We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you while you visit Organ Pipe National Monument, where the border is more secure than ever.
Liz Goodwin recently wrote about her visit to Organ Pipe National Monument. About 69% of the park has been closed since 2002, when Park Ranger Kris Eggle was murdered by drug runners.
As Ms. Goodwin notes, things have improved at the park. Since 2009, you can take a van tour to the springs in the park, but you’ll be escorted by Park Rangers protected with bullet proof vests and armed with M14 Battle Rifles. Oh yeah, there will be more officers in the hills keeping watch for cartel members that may ruin your day. Due to increased law enforcement presence, on March 1st, 2012, around 46% of the monument will be open to visitors. Let that sink in. You can’t visit 54% of your national monument because, it’s just too dangerous.
The danger to visitors in Organ Pipe National Monument is even higher than Saguaro National Monument and Coronado National Memorial. The Mexican drug trade to the United States is at least $39 billion per year, and the thousands of weapons trafficked South by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives remains unquantified. We need to evaluate the loss of access to parts of the U.S. and the increase in wealth of certain political elites who fight to make more of our borderland “protected environmental areas”. Certainly, gun control wasn’t the only motivation for the criminal Operation Fast and Furious.
For some perspective, the DMZ between North and South Korea is a safer place to visit. Just remember when Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and President Obama claim that “border security is better than ever“, it all depends on what the meaning of the word “is” actually is.
If you think the porous border isn’t a serious issue, just remember, when you eat a cheap burger, admire your inexpensively manicured lawn, or snort a line of cheap cocaine, there is a enormous price paid by some Americans (and Mexicans) for that little luxury you enjoy, while you smugly pine that you are looking out for those less fortunate than you.
It’s time for the special election primary race for those seeking to win Representative Gabby Giffords’ recently vacated seat. The Republican special election primary is set for April 17, 2012, and the special election is scheduled for June 12. The Republican race for the seat is heating up now that several candidates have announced their campaigns.
The choices so far in the Republican Primary are:
Arizona State Senator Frank Antenori was the first to declare his candidacy for the seat. Senator Antenori is an Army Special Forces Veteran who co-authored the book, Roughneck Nine-One: The extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War, about his experiences at the Battle at Debecka Pass in Iraq. His record on gun rights is great. Antenori’s experience as a legislator, his A+ AzCDL rating in 2010, and proven voting record give him a distinct advantage in the race.
Jesse Kelly will run again for the AZ Congressional District 8 seat. In 2010, Kelly was narrowly defeated in the race with Ms. Giffords. He served in the Marines for four years. After the tragic Tucson shooting at the Gifford’s event, Kelly was vilified by Democrats for his prior campaign events where supporters could shoot M16s with him. I’ll take that as a sign of his pro-gun credentials.
Martha McSally announced her intention to run for the vacant seat yesterday. Ms. McSally is the first woman to fly an Air Force fighter in combat. She is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 2010. She has also served as a national security adviser to Senator Jon Kyl. At this time, her website does not list her positions on current issues.
So far, the only candidate to come forward for the Democrat primary is Giffords’ aide Ron Barber.
The current race would allow the winner to serve in the seat through the rest of this year. The winner will need to simultaneously run in the Fall general election, but in the newly redrawn Congressional District 2 to keep the seat. The Republican contenders should make this race very interesting to watch.
Representative Gabrielle Giffords has announced her plan to resign from Congress in order to focus on recovering from her injuries. Hopefully, this move will enable her to focus strictly on recovery and rehabilitation, without the distraction of those attempting to exploit Gabby for political gain.
Her video announcement is moving and honorable.
Thank you for serving Arizona, Representative Giffords. May your recovery be speedy and complete.
Ten of Arizona’s County Sheriffs joined together to demand accountability for those involved in Operation Fast and Furious, a Federally sponsored gun running program which supplied weapons to Mexican drug cartels from at least ten U.S. cities. The Justice Department and Eric Holder have been obstructing a House Oversight Committee investigation into the operation that went as planned.
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever called Operation Fast and Furious a dishonor to law enforcement and a betrayal of law enforcement officers everywhere. These weapons have been used in crimes on both sides of the border. One of the weapons passed to the cartels by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was used during the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010. Agent Terry’s brother Kent Terry said,”My family and I are very thankful for the Sheriffs of Arizona and the fact they are helping us demand justice for my brother’s murder.”
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu held the press conference at the base of the Peace Officers Memorial, where Agent Terry’s name has been etched.
Sheriff Babeu was joined by nine other Sheriffs, four other Republicans and five Democrats. They made the call for a special investigator into the operation, Eric Holder’s resignation or firing, and criminal charges for those accountable. Sheriff Babeu also noted the Sheriffs found out about the operation through press accounts. (months after the Sipsey Street Irregulars blog broke the story.) He also suggested that the investigation needs to investigate other departments involved in the operation, such as the FBI, DEA, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department.
Sheriff Larry Dever expressed his embarrassment that he had to apologize for the criminal actions of other elected officials.
One reporter noted a prior operation called Operation Wide Receiver, and mindlessly alluded to this being a partisan jab. If the lazy, partisan reporter had bothered to spend a minute on Google, she would have found out that the firearms in Operation Wide Receiver actually had tracking devices and were under surveillance. Operation Wide Receiver didn’t go as planned, the guns were lost and the program cancelled as a failure. The lazy reporter could then understand that a plan to illegally sell firearms to felons to deliver to Mexican drug cartels, without tracking or surveillance, could not be the next step in an investigation.
Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark said, “I’m outraged that our own Federal Government has betrayed local law enforcement by arming violent foreign criminals and it now appears that Attorney General Eric Holder may have lied under oath.”
Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher said, “The Attorney General can’t be trusted to fairly self-investigate these possible criminal charges of gun running which has resulted in murders of both individuals from the U.S. and Mexico. A Special Counsel must be appointed.”
Previously, pro-second Amendment blogger Bob Owens was a lone voice calling for a Special Prosecutor. As more and more evidence of perjury and White House participation are released, the chorus grows stronger. Even congressman Paul Gosar has suggested that participants in this illegal operation are “vigilantes from DOJ going unchecked” and accessories to murder.
It is time for the President’s staff to stop playing politics with Operation Fast and Furious. This scandal is worse than Watergate, as people have been murdered in this scandal. The President must appoint a special investigator to bring those responsible to justice, or have the history of his administration forever tarnished by this corrupt, murderous operation.
The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) held their annual luncheon on Saturday in Tucson. If you are unfamiliar with AzCDL‘s mission:
The purpose of the Arizona Citizens Defense League is to protect individual freedom and laws that attend to it through lobbying, petitioning, fund raising and all lawful means to enforce Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Arizona.
You want to know what Article 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution is about? Well, I’m glad you asked. Article 2, Section 2 states:
Article 2 – Political power; purpose of government
All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.
Mz. VRWC and I headed down to the Old Pueblo for the annual celebration of individual rights and some great BBQ. About 400 of AzCDL’s 5,000 members attended the luncheon, and almost everyone open-carried, with a few concealing.
For an event like this, it is customary for the attendees to get dressed up a bit. For many, it meant opening the gun safe and grabbing a pretty gun appropriate for this special event (much like having a strand of pearls or a tuxedo for special occasions).
We had a tasty lunch of barbequed chicken, pork ribs, and beef tri-tip, slaw salad, cobblers and more, catered by Sapphire Catering. As we finished our meal, AzCDL Communications Director and JPFO Executive Director, Charles Heller spoke to the crowd for a bit before turning the microphone over to Arizona State Representative Brenda Barton (AzCDL rated A+) to introduce the rest of the speakers. The speakers included Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, candidate for the Arizona District 7 House seat (running against Raul “boycott my state” Grijalva) and Arizona State Senator Frank Antenori (who is considering a run to replace Rep. Gabriel Giffords). Also in attendance, AZ State Representative John Kavanagh, accepting a lifetime achievement award on behalf of AZ State Senator Russell Pearce, AZ State Senator Paula Aboud, as well as chief’s of staff for various other legislators. It’s always good to see that elected citizens aren’t afraid to be around those they represent.
There were even raffles for various firearms. Despite the Smallest Minority handing us two raffle tickets before retiring for an early siesta, we did not win the Ruger LC9 he should have won. However we did steal win a faux zebra skin rifle case (perfect for Mz. VRWC’s tactical shotgun) and a family membership to Shooters World, an air conditioned indoor range in Phoenix, at the silent auction.
Long story short, the annual luncheon was a pleasure and again, members were given the microphone to suggest new laws they wanted to fight for, as well as laws they wanted repealed. I have no doubt that AzCDL will continue the fight to maintain and regain our liberties.
Bottom line, don’t pay any attention to the lazy hippies and communists putting on their Occupy Wall Street demonstration (sidewalk camping). They won’t accomplish anything sitting around whining for “change” and whining for handouts. Joining, supporting, and participating in a group that represents and lobbies for your interests will get you the government you want and deserve.
If your state doesn’t have an organization like AzCDL, consider starting your own group. Citizens have a right to the same access and persuasion as any other special interest. The power is yours, if you want it.
Don’t forget! The Sarah Palin documentary, The Undefeated, will open in select major cities on July 15th. Here are the cities you can see the movie in on July 15th:
Phoenix, AZ AMC Ahwatukee 24
Orange, CA AMC 30 At The Block
Highlands Ranch, CO AMC Highlands Ranch 24
Orlando, FL AMC Loews Universal Cineplex 20
Kennesaw, GA AMC Barrett Commons 24
Indianapolis, IN AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17
Independence, MO AMC Independence Commons 20
Oklahoma, OK AMC Quail Springs Mall 24
Grapevine,TX AMC Grapevine Mills 30
Houston, TX AMC Gulf Pointe 30
For information on theaters and links to buy tickets online, visit the Victory Film Groups webpage.
Haven’t heard of the Sarah Palin movie?
Check out Mz. VRWC’s review of The Undefeated.
