02/06/2013 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

        HJR 4 - OPPOSE GUN CONTROL ORDERS & LEGISLATION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:15:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 4,  Urging the President of the United                                                               
States to  rescind 23 executive  orders related to  regulation of                                                               
firearms; and urging  the United States Congress  to refrain from                                                               
passing legislation  that restricts  the right of  individuals to                                                               
keep  and  bear  arms.    [Included in  members'  packets  was  a                                                               
proposed  committee substitute  for HJR  4, Version  28-LS0362\U,                                                               
Strasbaugh, 2/6/13.]                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MILLETT,  speaking  as  the  sponsor  of  HJR  4,                                                               
indicated  that   the  proposed  committee  substitute   (CS)  in                                                               
members'  packets  need  not  be adopted  at  this  time  because                                                               
further  changes  to  the  resolution  would  be  forthcoming  to                                                               
address the fact  that the 23 executive orders  referenced in the                                                               
resolution  [were   instead  issued]  as  executive   actions  or                                                               
executive recommendations.   She  explained that HJR  4 addresses                                                               
Alaskans'  right  to bear  arms  as  outlined  in both  the  U.S.                                                               
Constitution and  the Alaska State Constitution.   Alaskans pride                                                               
themselves  on gun  ownership,  gun safety,  and  the ability  to                                                               
recreate with  guns - hunting  and target shooting,  for example.                                                               
Referring  to recent  tragedies  that occurred  in  the Lower  48                                                               
involving firearms,  she said that  the Second Amendment  and the                                                               
Tenth Amendment of the U.S.  Constitution must still be protected                                                               
nonetheless.   Gun legislation currently  making its  way through                                                               
Congress would restrict the rights  of Alaskans to make their own                                                               
decisions about guns and their associated laws and regulations.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said HJR  4 urges the Obama Administration                                                               
and the  United States Congress  not to pass any  gun legislation                                                               
that  would  restrict or  damage  the  people's Second  Amendment                                                               
rights.   Alaskans themselves, she  opined, are the best  ones to                                                               
decide  upon Alaska's  gun laws.   Alaska  has a  large gun-owner                                                               
population,  but few  instances of  what she  referred to  as gun                                                               
abuse.   In conclusion, she  recommended that members view  HJR 4                                                               
as  way  of   sending  a  message  to  Congress   and  the  Obama                                                               
Administration that  a one-size-fits-all  approach to  guns won't                                                               
work for  Alaska, and  opined that the  state's right  to control                                                               
its  own guns  must  prevail.   In response  to  a question,  she                                                               
relayed that in addition to  changing the references to executive                                                               
orders,  further changes  regarding congressional  action on  gun                                                               
laws might also be forthcoming [in a new proposed (CS)].                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  - referring  to a document  in members'                                                               
packets produced  by the  White House titled,  "NOW IS  THE TIME,                                                               
The President's plan to protect  our children and our communities                                                               
by reducing  gun violence"  - observed  that the  legislature may                                                               
not  necessarily  wish   to  oppose  all  23   of  the  executive                                                               
orders/actions/recommendations.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:23:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRIAN JUDY,  Senior State Liaison,  National Rifle  Association -                                                               
Institute  for   Legislative  Action  (NRA-ILA),  said   the  NRA                                                               
supports  HJR  4  and  is strongly  opposed  to  the  President's                                                               
legislative proposals,  and thus views the  most important aspect                                                               
of  the resolution  as being  its urging  of Congress  to refrain                                                               
from passing  [restrictive gun-related] legislation.   Regardless                                                               
that some of the  23 executive orders/actions/recommendations are                                                               
good  or benign,  some  are  potentially very  bad  and thus  the                                                               
resolution  should  continue  to  ask the  President  to  rescind                                                               
all 23.  In  conclusion, he urged support for HJR  4, and said he                                                               
thinks it's a  good idea for Alaska to assert  its prerogative as                                                               
a state and to point  out that one-size-fits-all approaches don't                                                               
fit  everywhere.   In  response  to a  question,  he offered  his                                                               
understanding    of   what    some    of    the   23    executive                                                               
orders/actions/recommendations might entail.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT did so as well.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.   JUDY    added   his   belief   that    the   23   executive                                                               
orders/actions/recommendations  are going  to impact  law-abiding                                                               
gun owners and could have unintended consequences.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG   suggested  that  the   resolution  be                                                               
changed   so   that   it   focuses    only   on   the   executive                                                               
orders/actions/recommendations  that  would   cause  problems  in                                                               
Alaska - outlining why as  well as possible alternative solutions                                                               
-   and    asked   that    specific   information    about   each                                                               
order/action/recommendation be provided to the committee.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:35:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SCOTT HAMANN said he supports HJR  4 and views it as addressing a                                                               
state's rights  issue.  As  such, the resolution  should continue                                                               
referencing   all  23   executive  orders/actions/recommendations                                                               
regardless of  whether any of  them individually are  looked upon                                                               
with favor by the legislature.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER  ascertained that no  one else wished to  testify on                                                               
HJR 4.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
[HJR 4 was held over.]