02/08/2013 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

        HJR 4 - OPPOSE GUN CONTROL ORDERS & LEGISLATION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:25:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced  that the next 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 were  two                                                               
proposed committee  substitutes for HJR 4:   Version 28-LS0362\U,                                                               
Strasbaugh,   2/6/13;   and  Version   28-LS0362\N,   Strasbaugh,                                                               
2/8/13.]                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:26:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN  moved  to   adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HJR 4,  Version  28-LS0362\N,  Strasbaugh,                                                               
2/8/13, as the working document.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER objected.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT, as  the sponsor of HJR  4, explained that                                                               
Version  N now  references executive  orders, executive  actions,                                                               
and executive  recommendations; now no longer  contains a WHEREAS                                                             
clause   stating,  "the   United  States   Congress  could   more                                                               
effectively  curb  gun  violence   by  focusing  its  efforts  on                                                               
programs  that  help  identify and  treat  mentally  ill  persons                                                               
instead of  banning certain types  of firearms and  high capacity                                                               
ammunition magazines;  and"; [and  now contains a  WHEREAS clause                                                             
stating, "Alaska  has one of  the highest rates of  gun ownership                                                               
in the nation  but one of the  lowest rates of gun  crimes in the                                                               
nation; and"].                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT  suggested that Version N  also be changed                                                               
so  that the  "BE IT  RESOLVED"  clause of  the resolution  would                                                             
reference   "the"  executive   orders,  executive   actions,  and                                                               
executive  recommendations  related  to regulation  of  firearms,                                                               
rather   than  specifically   referencing  "23"   such  executive                                                               
orders/actions/recommendations.  Such a  change would reflect the                                                               
legislature's  recognition  that  perhaps   not  all  23  of  the                                                               
executive    orders,    executive    actions,    and    executive                                                               
recommendations  referenced elsewhere  in the  resolution address                                                               
the  regulation  of firearms  and  thus  may not  necessarily  be                                                               
things that the  legislature would want to urge  the President to                                                               
rescind.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:31:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ALFRED  McKINLEY,  SR.,  remarking  that he's  not  read  of  any                                                               
specific action  being taken by the  federal government, referred                                                               
to  the  Second  Amendment  to  the  U.S.  Constitution  and  the                                                               
constitutional  right to  keep and  bear arms,  noted that  HJR 4                                                               
contains a reference to  semiautomatic assault weapons, mentioned                                                               
that his firearms are  kept locked up in a safe  so as to prevent                                                               
them  from falling  into the  wrong hands,  relayed that  he uses                                                               
firearms for  both protection and  hunting, opined  that everyone                                                               
should keep their firearms locked  up, explained that he's served                                                               
in  the  military  and  received   awards  for  being  an  expert                                                               
rifleman,  and  indicated  favor  with what  the  legislature  is                                                               
doing.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:38:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BOB  BIRD -  indicating a  preference for  firearm-related school                                                               
policies to be  addressed at the local level, rather  than at the                                                               
state or federal level - said he supports HJR 4.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:43:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIKE COONS  suggested that HJR 4  be changed to include  a clause                                                               
expressing  disapproval   of  what   he  termed   "the  universal                                                               
background check" and [related] databases.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER closed public testimony  on HJR 4, and then reopened                                                               
it.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:47:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RICHARD  SVOBODNY,  Deputy   Attorney  General,  Central  Office,                                                               
Criminal  Division, Department  of Law  (DOL), in  response to  a                                                               
question, said  the DOL  doesn't have  a position  on HJR  4, and                                                               
pointed out that  the President had issued 23  statements, not 23                                                               
executive orders.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER again closed public  testimony on HJR 4; removed his                                                               
objection  to  the motion  to  adopt  Version  N as  the  working                                                               
document;  and, noting  that there  were  no further  objections,                                                               
announced that Version N was before the committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:49:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT  made a  motion to  adopt Amendment  1, to                                                               
delete the number, "23" from page  3, line 7, and replace it with                                                               
the  word, "the".   There  being  no objection,  Amendment 1  was                                                               
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:49:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN  moved  to  report  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HJR 4,  Version  28-LS0362\N,  Strasbaugh,                                                               
2/8/13,   as   amended,   out  of   committee   with   individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection, CSHJR 4(JUD) was  reported from the House Judiciary                                                               
Standing Committee.