NEWS RELEASE

Citizens Committee for the
Right to Keep and Bear Arms
12500 N.E. Tenth Place
Bellevue, WA 98005


CCRKBA Hails Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski new ‘No License Required’ CCW law


For Immediate Release:


BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today congratulated Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski for signing into law the nation’s most progressive concealed carry statute, and urged other states to “take a lesson from the Land of the Midnight Sun.”

Starting in 90 days, Alaska residents will no longer be required to obtain a concealed pistol license (CPL) in order to carry a concealed firearm. The state will continue issuing licenses to residents who may want a CPL in order to carry in other states that recognize the Alaska license. Those with CPLs will still be able to purchase a firearm without a background check.

“Only one other progressive state, Vermont, has recognized that law-abiding citizens should not have to obtain a license in order to exercise a constitutional right,” said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. “Vermont’s Supreme Court made that intelligent ruling a hundred years ago, and a century of experience has demonstrated that good people don’t do bad things when they exercise their right to bear arms.”

Under the new law, Alaskans still may not carry firearms into a courthouse, bar, school yard or domestic violence shelter. Proponents of the no-license-required statute, including the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Eric Croft (D-Anchorage) successfully argued that under the permit system, the state has repeatedly “fine-tuned” the law. Finally, out of frustration, Croft correctly noted, “I object to the government putting a precondition on that constitutional right. I’m presumed to be a responsible citizen until proven otherwise.”

“Rep. Croft is right,” Waldron stated. “Alaska has shown the way for lawmakers in other states to proceed on concealed carry reform. Responsible laws recognize that responsible citizens can exercise their Constitutional rights without a bookshelf full of conditions and limitations.
“Many people in the gun rights community have long thought that this kind of law could never be passed,” Waldron observed. “The Alaska experience proves that you don’t know for sure until you try.”


With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

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