04/05/2024 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

        HJR  3-CONCEALED HANDGUN RECIPROCITY B/W STATES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:50:42 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN  announced the consideration  of CS FOR  HOUSE JOINT                                                               
RESOLUTION  NO.  3(JUD)  am  Encouraging  Congress  to  pass  the                                                               
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act or a similar bill.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CLAMAN said  this is  the third  hearing of  HJR 3  in the                                                               
Senate Judiciary Committee. There  is a proposed Senate committee                                                               
substitute. He  invited Ms. Kakaruk  to put herself on  record to                                                               
explain the changes.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:51:34 PM                                                                                                                    
BREANNA  KAKARUK,  Staff,  Senator   Matt  Claman,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau,   Alaska,  presented  the   explanation  of                                                               
changes for HJR 3 from version S to R:                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                    House Joint Resolution 3                                                                                  
                     Explanation of Changes                                                                                   
                                                                                                                              
       Senate Judiciary Committee: Version S to Version R                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The  CS  for  House   Joint  Resolution  3  (Judiciary)                                                                    
     version R makes conforming changes  to version S of the                                                                    
     resolution. These  changes include updating  the states                                                                    
     currently  providing  reciprocity for  concealed  carry                                                                    
     permits issued  in other states to  20 states including                                                                    
     the  State  of  Alaska,   updating  the  resolution  to                                                                    
     address the  118th Congress,  and updating  the Speaker                                                                    
     of the U.S. House of Representatives to Mike Johnson.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:52:12 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN solicited a motion.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:52:16 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KIEHL moved to adopt the Senate committee substitute                                                                    
(SCS) for CSHJR 3, work order 33-LS0159/R, as the working                                                                       
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:52:32 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN found no objection and SCS CSHJR 3 was adopted as                                                                  
the working document.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:52:57 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN solicited the will of the committee.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:52:59 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KIEHL moved to report SCS CSHJR 3, 33-LS0159\R, from                                                                    
committee with individual recommendations.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL objected.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:53:15 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN invited Senator Kiehl to speak to his objection.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:53:29 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KIEHL said HJR 3 is too problematic to support moving                                                                   
forward. He asserted that the resolution runs counter to what                                                                   
the Alaska State Legislature generally stands for.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL  explained  that  HJR   3  calls  on  the  federal                                                               
government  not  only to  supersede  Alaska's  laws with  federal                                                               
laws, but to allow the  legislatures of other states to supersede                                                               
Alaska laws. He noted that  the federal legislation referenced in                                                               
HJR 3 would  allow any state to  lower its standards for  who may                                                               
carry a  concealed weapon, and  if enacted, would  require Alaska                                                               
to accept those lower standards.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL   stated  that  this  approach   undermines  state                                                               
authority  and the  Alaska State  Constitution,  which vests  the                                                               
power over  such matters with  the Alaska State  Legislature, not                                                               
with Montana, Texas, or Wyoming.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL  said   it  is  important  to  note   that  HJR  3                                                               
potentially poses  threats to Alaska's  public safety.  The state                                                               
has  laws   governing  where  individuals  can   carry  concealed                                                               
weapons,  and  those  restrictions  exist  for  important  public                                                               
safety reasons.  He emphasized that  alcohol and firearms  do not                                                               
mix,  noting that  he had  taught  this principle  many times  in                                                               
hunter  education classes.  He pointed  out that  it is  legal to                                                               
carry a concealed weapon in a  bar in some states. He pointed out                                                               
that HJR  3 calls on  Congress to pass federal  legislation which                                                               
only includes certain carve-outs,  but carrying concealed weapons                                                               
in a bar is not one of them.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL  recommended firmly that committee  members vote no                                                               
on HJR 3.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:55:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN found  the objection was maintained and  asked for a                                                               
roll call vote.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was taken.  Senators Kaufman and Claman voted in                                                               
favor of reporting  SCS CSHJR 3 from committee  and Senator Kiehl                                                               
voted against it. The vote was 2:1.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN announced a vote of 2 yeas and 1 nay.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN  reported the  bill out.  There being  no objection,                                                               
SCS  CSHJR 3(JUD)  was reported  from  Senate Judiciary  Standing                                                               
Committee.