00          SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 17(JUD)                                                        
01 Urging the United States Congress to reject H.R. 45, the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing                                 
02 and Record of Sale Act of 2009.                                                                                         
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution enunciates a                                     
05 citizen's right to keep and bear arms, stating that that right shall not be infringed; and                              
06       WHEREAS art. I, sec. 19, Constitution of the State of Alaska, provides that the right                           
07 of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed and further states that the individual                       
08 right to keep and bear arms shall not be denied or infringed; and                                                       
09       WHEREAS H.R. 45 has been introduced in the United States Congress to require                                    
10 licensure of firearm owners and extensive recordkeeping of transactions that result in the                              
11 transfer of certain firearms, including handguns and semiautomatic rifles; and                                          
12       WHEREAS H.R. 45, referred to as the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of                                
13 Sale Act of 2009, would make it a federal felony to possess a firearm without a license; and                            
14       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would also make it a federal felony to transfer a firearm to                                    
15 another person who is not licensed; and                                                                                 
16       WHEREAS H.R. 45 directs the Attorney General of the United States to establish and                              
01 maintain a federal system documenting the sale and transfer of firearms; and                                            
02       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would make it a federal misdemeanor to fail to report the loss or                               
03 theft of a firearm to the attorney general within 72 hours; and                                                         
04       WHEREAS, under H.R. 45, a firearm owner could be charged with a federal felony                                  
05 based on the actions of a juvenile who might gain access to the firearm; and                                            
06       WHEREAS H.R. 45 directs the attorney general to establish and maintain a firearm                                
07 injury information clearinghouse, to conduct studies of firearm-related deaths and injuries,                            
08 and to collect and maintain production and sales data from licensed firearm manufactures; and                           
09       WHEREAS the provisions of H.R. 45 cumulatively constitute a gun registration                                    
10 system and an assault on the Second Amendment rights of United States citizens; and                                     
11       WHEREAS the private ownership of firearms has always been a key component of                                    
12 our national defense and constitutes a constructive notice to our enemies that Americans are a                          
13 free people and a people free to defend themselves; and                                                                 
14       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would diminish this traditional component of our national                                       
15 defense; and                                                                                                            
16       WHEREAS there are other methods of addressing the problem of gun violence and                                   
17 gun-related deaths, such as increased education on the proper handling and use of firearms,                             
18 that would be more effective and less intrusive into the private lives of American citizens and                         
19 would not diminish a constitutionally guaranteed right;                                                                 
20       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the Blair Holt's                                       
21 Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, urges the United States Congress to reject                            
22 H.R. 45, and further urges the members of the Alaska Congressional delegation to oppose and                             
23 defeat H.R. 45; and be it                                                                                               
24       FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Alaska Congressional delegation are                                        
25 urged to support and expand federal funding of firearm education programs.                                              
26       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-                            
27 President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Harry Reid,                              
28 Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the                               
29 U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the                              
30 Honorable John Boehner, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; and the                                   
31 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                          
01 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.