AzCDL Legislative Update and Action Alert

Thank you! Once again your activism had impact! Last week we asked you to contact your legislators through the RTS system and you successfully convinced the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to approve both HB 2119 (automatic restoration of civil rights for 1st time and non-violent offenders) and SB 1125 (affirming the right to possess and transport firearms) Keep up the great work! Upcoming Hearings Please log into the RTS system this week and enter your "For" vote on the following bills which will be heard this week: HB 2166 would except firearms and firearm safety equipment from transaction privilege (sales) tax (House Ways & Means Committee, Wednesday 2/2/22 at 9:00 AM). HB 2316 would allow CCW permit holders to carry firearms in most public buildings (House Government & Elections Committee, Wednesday 2/2/22 at 9:00 AM).  HB 2414 removes the requirement for firearms to be unloaded when stored in a locked vehicle on school grounds (House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday 2/2/22 at 8:00 AM).  SB 1251 adds to the list of actions constituting armed robbery to include if the person or an accomplice, in the course of committing robbery, takes possession of or attempts to take possession of a deadly weapon (Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday 2/3/22 at 9:00 AM). SB 1252 strengthens the criteria for justified use or threatened use of physical force (Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday 2/3/22 at 9:00 AM). We need YOU AzCDL's  lobbying effectiveness at the Capitol is dependent upon you contacting legislators, letting them know that as a voting constituent you are watching what they are doing, expecting them to vote for bills you support and against bills you don’t support. To voice your opinion on these bills, visit the AZ Legislature Applications page, sign into your RTS account, click on the big blue “Request to Speak” icon in the middle of the page, then click on the “New Request” tab on the left side of the page. Note:  If you do not see the “New Request” tab, it means your RTS account was not created or activated at an official RTS terminal at the Capitol.  If that’s the case, we can help.  Let us know in a reply to this message.   A new window will open.  In the “Search Phrase” line, enter the bill number (without HB or SB) and click on the blue “Search” button below the Search Phrase.    Your search results will appear below the “Search” button as in the example below.    Click on the blue “Add Request” button on the right side of your search results to bring up your voting page.  For these bills, we ask that you click on the “For” (thumbs up) button.  Unless you plan on attending and testifying at the hearing, always answer “No” to the “Do you wish to speak?” question.   About RTS AzCDL does not control the RTS system  Several years ago, the Legislature set up the RTS system.  With the automation of RTS, a feature was added to allow citizens with RTS accounts to state their positions about a bill online, without having to testify.  However, to access this feature, RTS accounts must first be created at dedicated computer terminals at the Capitol in Phoenix or the state offices in Tucson. Please do NOT be tempted to create an RTS account online.  It is essentially useless and cannot be used to comment to committees on legislation unless it is activated at an official RTS terminal. If you are a current AzCDL member and do not have an existing RTS account, we will be happy to assist you in setting up an account.  Simply reply to this message and request our help. If you have ever created an existing RTS account, a duplicate account cannot be created.  You must use your existing account.  If you log in and receive a message that your RTS account must be “activated”, that too must be done at an official RTS terminal. We can also assist you with that.  Those who want to disarm you understand the importance of RTS.  Their followers are flooding RTS with demands to committee members to defeat the same bills we are asking you to support.  Their goal is to have every peaceful Arizona gun owner tagged, tracked and targeted for registration and confiscation.  You can defeat them by using your RTS account to tell committee members to support good legislation and to prevent bad bills from progressing. Committee hearings will be a priority in the coming weeks.  The deadline for bills to be heard in committees in their originating chamber (House or Senate) is Friday, February 18th.   As important bills are scheduled for committee hearings, we will notify you via these alerts. We encourage you to share this and all AzCDL emails with anyone you know who is interested in protecting their right to keep and bear arms in Arizona. A list of firearms related bills we are monitoring this session can be found on AzCDL’s Bill Tracking Page. We encourage you to share this and all AzCDL emails with anyone you know who is interested in protecting their right to keep and bear arms in Arizona.  They can click here to subscribe to AzCDL email broadcasts. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization.  AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom.  Copyright © 2021 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.