00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 17                                                                     
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 H.R. 45 has been introduced in the United States Congress to require                                    
07 licensure of firearm owners and extensive recordkeeping of transactions that result in the                              
08 transfer of certain firearms, including handguns and semiautomatic rifles; and                                          
09       WHEREAS H.R. 45, referred to as the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of                                
10 Sale Act of 2009, would make it a federal felony to possess a firearm without a license; and                            
11       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would also make it a federal felony to transfer a firearm to                                    
12 another person who is not licensed; and                                                                                 
13       WHEREAS H.R. 45 directs the Attorney General of the United States to establish and                              
14 maintain a federal system documenting the sale and transfer of firearms; and                                            
15       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would make it a federal felony to fail to report the loss or theft of                           
16 a firearm to the attorney general within 72 hours; and                                                                  

01       WHEREAS, under H.R. 45, a firearm owner could be charged with a federal felony                                  
02 based on the actions of a juvenile who might gain access to the firearm; and                                            
03       WHEREAS H.R. 45 directs the attorney general to establish and maintain a firearm                                
04 injury information clearinghouse, to conduct studies of firearm-related deaths and injuries,                            
05 and to collect and maintain production and sales data from licensed firearm manufactures; and                           
06       WHEREAS the provisions of H.R. 45 cumulatively constitute a gun registration                                    
07 system and an assault on the Second Amendment rights of United States citizens; and                                     
08       WHEREAS the private ownership of firearms has always been a key component of                                    
09 our national defense and constitutes a constructive notice to our enemies that Americans are a                          
10 free people and a people free to defend themselves; and                                                                 
11       WHEREAS H.R. 45 would diminish this traditional component of our national                                       
12 defense; and                                                                                                            
13       WHEREAS there are other methods of addressing the problem of gun violence and                                   
14 gun-related deaths, such as increased education on the proper handling and use of firearms,                             
15 that would be more effective and less intrusive into the private lives of American citizens and                         
16 would not diminish a constitutionally guaranteed right;                                                                 
17       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the Blair Holt's                                       
18 Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, urges the United States Congress to reject                            
19 H.R. 45, and further urges the members of the Alaska Congressional delegation to oppose and                             
20 defeat H.R. 45; and be it                                                                                               
21       FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Alaska Congressional delegation are                                        
22 urged to support and expand federal funding of firearm education programs.                                              
23       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-                            
24 President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Harry Reid,                              
25 Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the                               
26 U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the                              
27 Honorable John Boehner, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; and the                                   
28 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                          
29 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.