HJR 4: Encouraging Congress to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 or a similar bill.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 4 01 Encouraging Congress to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 or a similar 02 bill. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides 05 that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed"; and 06 WHEREAS the United States Supreme Court has a history of protecting the right of 07 individual citizens to bear arms as provided in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of 08 the United States; and 09 WHEREAS, in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), the United States 10 Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a 11 firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful 12 purposes, such as self-defense within the home; and 13 WHEREAS art. I, sec. 19, of the Constitution of the State of Alaska provides that 14 "[t]he individual right to keep and bear arms shall not be denied or infringed by the State or a 15 political subdivision of the State"; and 16 WHEREAS, where it is legal to do so, a person who is 21 years of age or older and
01 who may legally possess a firearm may carry a firearm in the state without a concealed carry 02 permit; and 03 WHEREAS the state issues permits to carry a concealed handgun as provided in 04 AS 18.65.700 - 18.65.790; and 05 WHEREAS art. IV, sec. 1, of the Constitution of the United States provides that 06 every state shall give full faith and credit to the judicial proceedings and documents of every 07 other state and that Congress may determine how those documents will be recognized; and 08 WHEREAS, under art. IV, sec. 1, Constitution of the United States, states provide 09 reciprocity for legally issued driver's licenses from other states; and 10 WHEREAS states that issue concealed carry permits restrict eligibility to persons 11 who are eligible under federal and state laws to legally possess a firearm; and 12 WHEREAS states that issue concealed carry permits require the applicant to complete 13 a handgun competency course and display the applicant's ability and knowledge of related 14 responsibilities to legally operate a firearm; and 15 WHEREAS states that issue concealed carry permits require applicants to submit 16 fingerprints and pass a criminal background check; and 17 WHEREAS 19 states currently provide reciprocity for concealed carry permits issued 18 in other states; 19 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that the 20 United States Congress pass legislation that amends the federal criminal code to allow an 21 individual qualified to carry or possess a concealed handgun in one state to carry or possess a 22 concealed handgun in another state that also allows individuals to carry concealed firearms; 23 and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the United 25 States Congress to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (H.R. 38) or the 26 Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (S. 69), both from the 116th 27 Congress, or a similar bill; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that 29 the President of the United States sign into law legislation that enacts the Concealed Carry 30 Reciprocity Act of 2019 (H.R. 38) or the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 31 2019 (S. 69), both from the 116th Congress, or a similar bill if Congress passes the
01 legislation. 02 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable _________________, 03 President of the United States; the Honorable ______________, Vice President of the United 04 States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. 05 House of Representatives; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan 06 Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the 07 Alaska delegation in Congress.