Special Session Of The Arizona Legislature Called
— Governor plans to ram new gun control into law

Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408

http://www.gunowners.org

December 10, 1999

Your immediate action is needed to stop yet another attack on your
rights.

On Monday, December 13, Arizona Governor Jane “Attila The” Hull will
call the state legislature into special session. There are two items
on the agenda. The first (the one getting most of the press), deals
with tobacco settlement money and a hospital. The other is a
dangerous gun control initiative that has been inappropriately named
“Shannon’s Law.”

Once again, the anti-gunners are climbing over the backs of corpses
in an attempt to strip you of your Constitutional rights. Leading
that anti-gun charge is Governor Hull.

If enacted, the so-called “Shannon’s Law” would transform negligent
discharge of a firearm from a simple misdemeanor into a
rights-stripping class 6 FELONY.

There are already felony statutes that can be used to punish those
who harm or endanger persons or property through the illegal use of
a firearm, not the least of which is manslaughter. So why this new
law?

It is rumored prosecutors are saying they have difficulty obtaining
convictions under the other laws, and need a new “tool” to use in
gun cases.

What it really means is that incidents which were once properly
treated as minor crimes with appropriate penalties now have the
anti-gun prosecutor’s big prize attached: the potential of taking
away a gun owner’s rights to bear arms and to vote– for life.

While the base term of imprisonment for a class 6 felony is one year
as opposed to the “more than a year” term– which under federal law
immediately takes away one’s Second Amendment rights– Arizona law
allows courts to consider a laundry list of aggravating factors
which can increase the term of imprisonment to two years. This
laundry list includes: “Any other factors which the court may deem
appropriate to the ends of justice.” There are numerous anti-gun
prosecutors and judges who would consider taking away your guns to
be in the interest of “justice.”

An example of how this smokescreen of a law could turn into a
nightmare was provided by AZ activist Ken Rineer. Someone who shot a
coyote that was attacking the family pet in their own yard would now
face felony charges. Whereas before a gun owner might have decided
that the normal $750 maximum fine for a class 2 discharge
misdemeanor was worth it to save his daughter’s beloved kitten, the
threat to his rights is far greater if this bill passes. Never mind
if he was on his own property, the coyote was against the backstop
of a sizable tool shed, and he knows that taking out a coyote from
six feet with his favorite gun is a shot he is more than capable of
making.

Perhaps the greatest danger, however, lies in the area of lawful
self-defense. GOA is currently trying to pass the Citizen’s
Self-Defense Act on the federal level precisely because of the vast
number of law-abiding citizens who have been railroaded by
overzealous prosecutors for doing nothing more than defending their
life. Citizens who use guns in self-defense are in many
jurisdictions routinely charged with misuse of a firearm or
negligent discharge. This dangerous bill would give those same
anti-gun prosecutors a shot at the felony conviction prize– and
since self-defense often means the bad guy gets hurt or killed,
“aggravating factors” can easily be unjustly added. Imagine– save
your spouse’s life and get disarmed for life!

Some, including Governor Hull, are claiming the law is needed to
stop reckless discharge of a gun in a celebratory manner– like say
New Year’s Eve. Hence, the law is being brought as an “emergency
measure” and would take effect immediately. Of course, if some thug
decides to loot your home or business to ring in the new millenium,
it could be YOU that winds up with a felony record.

Please, right away, contact your legislators and insist they oppose
this unnecessary and rights-infringing bill. Tell them to insist
prosecutors use the laws that are already on the books to punish the
real criminals, rather than hand them the tool they need to railroad
decent citizens.

The special session convenes THIS MONDAY at noon. There is very
little time. Please act right away.

Note: Reports from insiders indicate that Gov. “Attila The” Hull
will try to suspend the normal legislative rules for this special
session and ram this new gun control law down your throat *in under
four hours* with nothing more than an up-or-down vote. Many
legislators will have never even seen the bill. Many more won’t
recognize the inherent threat to liberty it contains. It is up to
you to inform them of that, so please act right away.

Legislative rosters are found below. They are from earlier this year
and may be slightly out of date. If you can’t reach your legislators
with these rosters, contact the Capitol and find out how you can.

Finally, be advised that the new law would also apply to any gun
range (within a city or town) that does not have an official
affiliation with a national organization such as the NRA or the
National Skeet Association.

AZ House roster (by district)

Main House Number:

800-352-8404

District Maps at:

http://www.azleg.state.az.us/maps/state.htm

Dis Name E-mail Phone

01 Binder [email protected] 602-542-5413
01 Blewster [email protected] 602-542-5412
02 Hart [email protected] 602-542-4079
02 Verkamp [email protected] 602-542-3300
03 Gordon [email protected] 602-542-5835
03 Laughter [email protected] 602-542-5862
04 Brimhall [email protected] 602-542-5861
04 Flake [email protected] 602-542-5219
05 Carruthers [email protected] 602-542-5273
05 McLendon [email protected] 602-542-4430
06 Daniels [email protected] 602-542-5898
06 Kyle [email protected] 602-542-5549
07 Clark [email protected] 602-542-5829
07 Rios [email protected] 602-542-5030
08 Griffin [email protected] 602-542-5761
08 Maiorana [email protected] 602-542-5058
09 McGibbon [email protected] 602-542-3235
09 Preble [email protected] 602-542-3312
10 Gonzales [email protected] 602-542-4089
10 Valadez [email protected] 602-542-3424
11 Cardamone [email protected] 602-542-3395
11 Norris [email protected] 602-542-4893
12 Huffman [email protected] 602-542-3394
12 Schottel [email protected] 602-542-5839
13 Dunbar [email protected] 602-542-5828
13 Nichols [email protected] 602-542-5108
14 Horton [email protected] 602-542-5495
14 Pickens [email protected] 602-542-3425
15 Gleason [email protected] 602-542-5409
15 Overton [email protected] 602-542-5894
16 Gray [email protected] 602-542-3376
16 Weiers [email protected] 602-542-4639
17 Burns [email protected] 602-542-5872
17 McGrath [email protected] 602-542-3255
18 Gerard [email protected] 602-542-5766
18 Wong [email protected] 602-542-5836
19 Carpenter [email protected] 602-542-1859
19 Voss [email protected] 602-542-5168
20 Brotherton [email protected] 602-542-4002
20 Foster [email protected] 602-542-5160
21 Cooley [email protected] 602-542-5874
21 Jarrett [email protected] 602-542-3163
22 Loredo [email protected] 602-542-5830
22 Miranda [email protected] 602-542-3392
23 Avelar [email protected] 602-542-3278
23 Landrum [email protected] 602-542-5864
24 Horne [email protected] 602-542-5977
24 Leff [email protected] 602-542-5863
25 Cheuvront [email protected] 602-542-5895
25 Weason [email protected] 602-542-3297
26 Hatch-Miller [email protected] 602-542-5051
26 May [email protected] 602-542-5408
27 Gardner [email protected] 602-542-5896
27 Knaperek [email protected] 602-542-5169
28 Allen [email protected] 602-542-4225
28 Marsh [email protected] 602-542-5503
29 Anderson [email protected] 602-542-4371
29 Gardner [email protected] 602-542-5760
30 Groscost [email protected] 602-542-5735
30 Johnson [email protected] 602-542-4467

AZ Senate Roster (by district)

District maps at:

http://www.azleg.state.az.us/maps/state.htm

Senate fax (602) 542-3429

D Name E-Mail Phone

01 Bennett [email protected] 602-542-5584
02 Wettaw [email protected] 602-542-4486
03 Jackson [email protected] 602-542-4323
04 Brown [email protected] 602-542-4129
05 Guenther [email protected] 602-542-4139
06 Huppenthal [email protected] 602-542-4178
07 Rios [email protected] 602-542-5685
08 Arzberger [email protected] 602-542-4321
09 Bee [email protected] 602-542-5683
10 Soltero [email protected] 602-542-5342
11 Richardson [email protected] 602-542-5262
12 Day [email protected] 602-542-4326
13 Cunningham [email protected] 602-542-5911
14 Solomon [email protected] 602-542-5993
15 Cirillo [email protected] 602-542-4173
16 Hamilton [email protected] 602-542-5261
17 Burns [email protected] 602-542-3160
18 Spitzer [email protected] 602-542-4480
19 Bundgaard [email protected] 602-542-4136
20 Hartley [email protected] 602-542-4485
21 Bowers [email protected] 602-542-5288
22 Lopez [email protected] 602-542-4171
23 Aguirre [email protected] 602-542-7830
24 Grace [email protected] 602-542-5284
25 Cummiskey [email protected] 602-542-4916
26 Smith [email protected] 602-542-5955
27 Mitchell hmitchel@[email protected] 602-542-4124
28 Gnant [email protected] 602-542-4138
29 Petersen [email protected] 602-542-4481
30 Freestone [email protected] 602-542-5325