Arizona HB 2347

[zacii]

I received an email from NRA-ILA stating that this bill was held up by Adam Driggs, in which they urged NRA members to contact Mr. Driggs. I did send an email today and received a prompt reply from Mr. Driggs:

This email blast against me is 100% untrue. I have no explanation as to why the NRA did this, other than they got bad information. I have NEVER told anyone I refused to release this bill. It is complete nonsense. I had never even talked to anyone at the NRA about this and have never intended to slow this bill down. I have always supported the 2nd Amendment.

Today I also received an email from NRA-ILA saying that the same bill had passed out of committee. I feel imposed upon and am upset that the NRA was so quick to publish data that apparently was not accurate. Now, I may have to email Mr. Driggs with an apology.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[MinistrMalic]

Zacii, I would DEFINITELY recommend that you email Mr. Driggs and apologize to him. It sounds like he is upset, and an emailed apology sounds like it's in order. It's the NRA's fault for sending the info, but it would be polite to send an email.

[TOF]

It is fairly obvious to me that the NRA, which I happen to be a member of, is attempting to gain recognition for efforts that others have made. The organization AZCDL is the reason Arizona is moving forward in the area of gun rights, not the NRA. I also happen to be a member of AZCDL and have been following this and other gun rights legislation very closely. Mr. Driggs is and has been a very strong supporter of gun rights and deserves an in depth apology and the apology needs to be widely published if the NRA wishes to retain some of its members.

[zacii]

I sent off an email to apologize, because my original email was rather pointed. I'll bet Mr. Driggs was bombarded with angry emails from NRA members. Now I'm going to be apprehensive about further NRA alerts.

[TOF]

If you have not yet done so, I suggest you join AzCDL so you will be kept up to date on gun rights legislation in Arizona. They are doing a great job for us.

AZCDL Home

[gasmitty]

I sent off an email to apologize, because my original email was rather pointed. I'll bet Mr. Driggs was bombarded with angry emails from NRA members. Now I'm going to be apprehensive about further NRA alerts.

Always best to check facts independently, if you can, even with a trustworthy source.

[jon7]

HB 2347 already passed out of the House Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS) by a 5-2 vote on February 3, 2010. House Speaker Kirk Adams had also assigned HB 2347 to the House Judiciary Committee, which Rep. Driggs chairs. Rep. Driggs has, at this point, refused to release the bill or schedule it for a hearing. AzCDL is continuing to work to resolve this impasse and to have HB 2347 heard by the full House.

I just got that in an email from AZCDL (also available at News). Apparently the NRA was right... I emailed him yesterday and have yet to receive a response.

[batpot]

My dad lives in AZ, and got the exact same canned response from Mr. Driggs when he emailed the question to him.

[Mic]

If you have not yet done so, I suggest you join AzCDL so you will be kept up to date on gun rights legislation in Arizona. They are doing a great job for us.

AZCDL Home

+ 1

[TOF]

I hate saying I was wrong but it appears the NRA was right on this one. Actually I prefer to say I was wrong than to leave erroneous information on line.

Hopefully Representative Driggs will reconsider what he is doing. I am going to wait a bit and give AzCDL time to sway him in favor of the citizenry.

[texengineer]

I contacted Congressman Driggs by phone about 5 minutes after I got the email from the NRA. His assistant assured me that he was not holding HB 2347. I had sent out an email to all of the Arizona representatives earlier in the week, encouraging them to pass the bill. Representative Linda Gray replied to my email on Friday, saying that she believed that the bill was being held in judiciary (not necessarily by Chairman Driggs); however, I received an email from AZ Senator Linda Gray on Sunday stating that she had added the comments in my emails to the bill. At this point, I have no idea where the bill is in the process. I can assure you all that I am making my voice heard throughout the AZ congress. I am also encouraging them to remove the section restricting concealed carry by citizens who are between the ages of 18 and 20. I am 20, live on my own, am a full time student and part time field engineer for a construction company, pay taxes, pay bills, and deserve to carry my handgun concealed as much anyone who is 6 months older than I am. I carry open from time to time, and always get weird looks. Luckily that's the worst of it for now. I'm doing my best to have this injustice corrected though. I'd like to ask any of you who are willing to help me out by contacting the representatives with similar comments.

[zacii]

I hate saying I was wrong but it appears the NRA was right on this one. Actually I prefer to say I was wrong than to leave erroneous information on line.

Hopefully Representative Driggs will reconsider what he is doing. I am going to wait a bit and give AzCDL time to sway him in favor of the citizenry.

So, if he is holding up, what's his beef? Like I said before, I emailed him and got his response. Is there some other red tape that has to be dealt with? He says he's not doing anything to impede the bill; I'm confused to what's really going on.

[TOF]

Here is the last word received via email from AzCDL:

"Over in the House, AzCDL representatives met with Representative Adam Driggs on the progress of HB 2347 (Constitutional Carry) on Monday, February 15, 2010. HB 2347 passed out of the House Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS) by a 5-2 vote on February 3, 2010. House Speaker Kirk Adams had also assigned the bill to the House Judiciary Committee, which Rep. Driggs chairs. Up until this point, HB 2347 has not been withdrawn from the committee or scheduled for a hearing.

Rep. Driggs has assured us that he is in favor of the bill and is not impeding its progress. However, because the language of the bill has been revised due to the concerns of numerous stakeholders and an amendment is pending, he would prefer to see the final version of the proposed bill before releasing it from his committee. Rep. Driggs has agreed to withdraw HB 2347 as soon as the amendment language is finished. At that point, the bill will move out of the House Judiciary Committee and proceed through the rest of the legislative process."