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Copyright 2003 Gannett Company, Inc. USA TODAY
March 4, 2003, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION
WASHINGTON -- The country's top police chiefs are in the middle of a lobbying battle with rank-and-file officers over a plan that would let about 1.5 million retired and off-duty officers carry concealed weapons nationwide.
Supporters of proposed legislation are casting the officers as a ready militia against any terrorist threat. The plan is under consideration in the judiciary committees of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Much of the opposition is coming from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum. They say the plan would undermine local authority and "dramatically elevates opportunities for tragedy," IACP analyst Gene Voegtlin wrote last week in a bulletin to its 20,000 members.
Police chiefs in Florida, Arizona and other retirement destinations are particularly concerned.
"It's hard enough to keep track of the people in our own departments, let alone people we don't even know are in our communities," North Miami, Fla., Police Chief William Berger says.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest association of street officers with 300,000 members, says the plan is necessary for a country confronting a high risk of terrorist attack.
"When the public safety is threatened, (officers) will have the tools to respond appropriately," says Tim Richardson, a legislative analyst for the FOP. "You're talking about a class of citizens who are trained to react and to respond to all kinds of incidents."
If approved by Congress, the legislation would allow retired and off-duty officers to travel with their weapons outside their home states without fear of prosecution. Officers would be allowed to carry firearms, except for machine guns, as long as they met annual testing standards in their home states.
The Law Enforcement Alliance of America, a coalition of police officers, crime victims and citizen groups, estimates that the legislation would apply to about 1 million retirees and 500,000 off-duty officers on any given day.
"This was a good idea before Sept. 11, but it's a great idea after Sept. 11," says Ted Deeds, the alliance's chief executive officer. "Everything indicates that the next attack is likely to happen in our communities. This (legislation) puts armed, trained people in our communities with the tools to do something."
Most states require individuals -- including off-duty police officers -- to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Those permits generally do not extend beyond home states.
Previous attempts at passing a concealed weapons law -- including an effort in 1999 -- have stalled in Congress. This time, however, supporters say a convergence of factors, including the elevated threat of terrorism in the United States and recent congressional action that would arm commercial airline pilots, could help their cause.
There also is strong support in the Senate, where 38 members from both parties are co-sponsors. The proposal may face the most opposition in the House. Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., says it would undermine states' authority to regulate gun-carrying privileges.
A spokesman for Sensenbrenner says the proposal remains a low priority for the committee this session. But Rep. Randy Cunningham, R-Calif., a chief sponsor of the House plan, believes there is more than enough support this time.
Spokesman Gordon Johndroe says the Department of Homeland Security was unaware of the legislation but would review it.
The Justice Department is not expected to take any position on the legislation
March 4, 2003, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION
WASHINGTON -- The country's top police chiefs are in the middle of a lobbying battle with rank-and-file officers over a plan that would let about 1.5 million retired and off-duty officers carry concealed weapons nationwide.
Supporters of proposed legislation are casting the officers as a ready militia against any terrorist threat. The plan is under consideration in the judiciary committees of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Much of the opposition is coming from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum. They say the plan would undermine local authority and "dramatically elevates opportunities for tragedy," IACP analyst Gene Voegtlin wrote last week in a bulletin to its 20,000 members.
Police chiefs in Florida, Arizona and other retirement destinations are particularly concerned.
"It's hard enough to keep track of the people in our own departments, let alone people we don't even know are in our communities," North Miami, Fla., Police Chief William Berger says.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest association of street officers with 300,000 members, says the plan is necessary for a country confronting a high risk of terrorist attack.
"When the public safety is threatened, (officers) will have the tools to respond appropriately," says Tim Richardson, a legislative analyst for the FOP. "You're talking about a class of citizens who are trained to react and to respond to all kinds of incidents."
If approved by Congress, the legislation would allow retired and off-duty officers to travel with their weapons outside their home states without fear of prosecution. Officers would be allowed to carry firearms, except for machine guns, as long as they met annual testing standards in their home states.
The Law Enforcement Alliance of America, a coalition of police officers, crime victims and citizen groups, estimates that the legislation would apply to about 1 million retirees and 500,000 off-duty officers on any given day.
"This was a good idea before Sept. 11, but it's a great idea after Sept. 11," says Ted Deeds, the alliance's chief executive officer. "Everything indicates that the next attack is likely to happen in our communities. This (legislation) puts armed, trained people in our communities with the tools to do something."
Most states require individuals -- including off-duty police officers -- to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Those permits generally do not extend beyond home states.
Previous attempts at passing a concealed weapons law -- including an effort in 1999 -- have stalled in Congress. This time, however, supporters say a convergence of factors, including the elevated threat of terrorism in the United States and recent congressional action that would arm commercial airline pilots, could help their cause.
There also is strong support in the Senate, where 38 members from both parties are co-sponsors. The proposal may face the most opposition in the House. Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., says it would undermine states' authority to regulate gun-carrying privileges.
A spokesman for Sensenbrenner says the proposal remains a low priority for the committee this session. But Rep. Randy Cunningham, R-Calif., a chief sponsor of the House plan, believes there is more than enough support this time.
Spokesman Gordon Johndroe says the Department of Homeland Security was unaware of the legislation but would review it.
The Justice Department is not expected to take any position on the legislation
