Dave Kopp is the co-founder and President of the Arizona Citizens Defense League and the AzCDL Foundation.
Dave is an East Coast transplant, a former computer programmer and a family man. Dave spends his time restoring and protecting the right to keep and bear arms through legislative lobbying. He is a strong voice protecting Arizonans against anti-rights groups and legislation that seek to limit our freedoms.
Dave works closely with the legislature to get strong pro-rights bills written and passed into law, while stopping freedom restricting bills, earning Arizona the reputation for being the friendliest state for gun owners. Significant amongst AzCDL’s many successes was the 2010 “Constitutional Carry” bill, restoring the ability of law-abiding adult citizens to carry openly or concealed without government permission. Dave is passionate about the work he does and is a sought-after speaker and knowledgeable resource in the firearms community.
One of his favorite quotes explains why Dave is a dedicated and driven champion for Arizona firearm owners: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”– Edmund Burke
The AzCDL is where grassroots activists take a stand, working at the Arizona legislature, to get strong pro-rights bills written and passed into law, while stopping bad bills.
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Our guest today is Dave Kopp. Dave is the president of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), which is where grassroots activists take a stand, working at the Arizona legislature, to get strong pro-rights bills written and passed into law, while stopping bad bills.
The AzCDL is the only Arizona civil liberties organization to get pro-rights bills introduced in every Legislative session.
1) The 2020 Election brought our State of AZ some new changes in the people serving in our Capitol. How does that change in personnel impact the challenges to our 2A Rights?
2) Article II, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution states that “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.” There are two key issues in that one sentence. Are either of them still true?
3) Thankfully some of the Bills and Initiatives that get written do not get passed. How can AZ Citizens with jobs, kids, homeschooling duties, etc stay on top of what is being written and how do we have a voice in that process?
3a) Some of the current Bills (good and bad) in our current AZ Legislature:
The number of bills filed has climbed to over 1,400. Key bills that AzCDL is monitoring, and their status, can be found on our Bill Tracking page. It is updated daily. The final day for Senators to file bills is Monday, February 1. For the House, the deadline is Monday, February 8.
Of the 20 firearms related bills that we are monitoring, 15 have been filed by Democrats attacking your right to keep and bear arms. Newly added this week are a couple of Senate bills:
SB 1535 – Would make you a felon if a minor can access your firearm.
SB 1585 – You would be guilty of a Class 1 Misdemeanor for “storing” your firearms without using a trigger lock or placing them in a locked container. There is no explanation of “storing” in the proposed statute or when or where it’s supposed to occur. It could mean you need to add a trigger lock before placing your gun in your holster.
On the plus side, the Republicans have filed two more bills supporting your rights:
SB 1361 – Would waive the CCW permit fees for active-duty military, veterans, and current and retired peace officers.
SB 1382 – Would classify ammunition and firearms related businesses as “essential” during a state of emergency.
SB 1328 is almost identical to HB 2111 – “Sanctuary State”
HB 2551 – Carrying in Govt Buildings
4) On our show we say all the time that the 2A is a non-political issue, yet we have to engage in politics and voting to protect it. Can you help make sense of that for us?
5) You will be one of our Speakers at the 2021 Rally to Celebrate and Protect our 2A Rights on Saturday, February 20th at the AZ State Capitol from 10:am – 2:pm. Why do you think these kinds of gatherings are important?
6) If you had one thing you wanted to impart to the 8 million brand new first time gun owners across the US, what would it be?
