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Arizona House Majority Leader Wants State To Pay For Concealed Carry Permit

Steve Montenegro
(Photo courtesy of the Arizona State Legislature)
Former Arizona House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro received Trent Franks' endorsement in the race.

The number two Republican in the state House wants the state to pay for more Arizonans to get permits to carry concealed weapons.

Any adult can carry a concealed weapon in Arizona. But there are certain advantages to having a permit, like being able to bring it into a place where alcohol is served.

At last count about 251,000 people have obtained CCW permits.

House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro, R-Avondale, wants to spur more people to get the permits. His legislation would allow the cost of the required four-hour permit class to be claimed as a dollar-for-dollar credit against what's owed on income taxes, up to $80. He said it promotes safety.

"Law enforcement have told us time and again that the first line of defense are those that carry CCW permits," Montenegro said. "In essence, what it does is it's bringing a level of awareness that we want to make sure that we can say maybe the next generation of those that want to have or possess firearms, they understand that we as a state value making sure that people are educated in how to use weapons or how to carry weapons.

There are around 3 million adults who could take advantage of the law and get the $80 credit, setting the potential cost in lost revenues to the state at as much as $240 million. The legislation has yet to be set for a hearing.