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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is AzCDL?
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Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) is an IRC 501(c)(4) non-profit, all volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization. That means that we are a group of concerned, activist citizens who got together and filed the necessary paperwork to form a corporation. We do not seek a profit, we do not discriminate regarding people’s political affiliations, and we don’t make any money doing any of it. You can’t deduct any donations to us from your income taxes because we are politically oriented.
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Are there any restrictions on membership in AzCDL?
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You must support the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Arizona, and you must not be a member of any organization or group that has as a part of its program the attempt to overthrow the Government of the United States or any of its political subdivisions by force or violence. Other than that, we welcome all who share our belief that those Constitutions mean what they say.
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What happens to my membership contribution?
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All of the money we make is used to fund the operating expenses of the organization. There are quite a few expenses involved in running an organization, even one composed of unpaid volunteers. We do our best to minimize those expenses, and our volunteers contribute hours of their time for nothing that would cost us a mint at market prices, but we have not yet mastered the trick of doing it for nothing. We don’t know of anyone else who has either.
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What is your purpose?
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Our primary mission is to create a more efficient link between Arizona’s citizens and their government. In order for a government of the people to function properly, the people must be involved in that government. This goes beyond simply electing the right people to office, though that is certainly important. Once elected, politicians need to be kept informed of their constituents’ wishes and desires, and some need to be reminded on occasion that their primary reason for being in office is to protect the rights of those constituents, as articulated in Article 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution …
“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.”
We recognize that the text, tone and intent of Constitutional provisions are a limitation on government rather than on the individual. In cases of conflict between perceived societal needs or compelling government interests and individual rights, we believe that individual rights should always take precedence.
Legislators also need to know what issues are important to their constituents, and that those citizens are as concerned about their rights as the legislators ought to be. There is no better reminder than constant contact. It is our intention to be that point of contact, and to serve as an educational center for our membership, a place where they can go to learn the proper procedures for staying in contact with their government.
We also intend to lobby for legislation that improves the rights of honest citizens, and against legislation that demeans or diminishes those rights. We believe that the focus of the law should always be on the criminals, and that attempts to control crime through the regulation of inanimate objects and innocent citizens have been misguided and ineffective. Honest, law-abiding citizens having a long and demonstrated history of being exactly that, and its long past time that we stopped wasting valuable law enforcement resources on futile efforts to keep track of the wrong people.
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Your primary focus seems to be guns. Doesn’t that make AzCDL just another “gun rights” group?
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While we feel that “gun rights” is a misnomer (guns do not have rights, nor do any other inanimate objects; only people have rights), we do not feel that focusing on the right to self-defense and bearing arms precludes the defense of any of our other human rights. After all, the Founders of both this state and this nation saw fit to enshrine many of them in the pantheon of rights protected by Constitutional amendments, including the right to bear arms, thus turning themselves into some of the earliest grassroots defenders of human rights. We think that’s a fine example to follow.
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OK, so why focus primarily on the “right to self-defense and bearing arms”?
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Simply put, because the right to self-defense and bearing arms secures and insures all of the other basic human rights. What other rights could you have, if you have no right to your own life? What right to life could you have, if you have no right to defend that life with the best available means at your disposal? How could you expect to defend your rights, if you cannot first defend your life? All of our fundamental human rights are inextricably intertwined. If one falls, they all fall. Logic dictates that one should support the foundation with the most vigor, while not neglecting the rest of the structure. We intend to follow that logic.
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Why should I support AzCDL?
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AzCDL was incorporated in June of 2005. We’ve had numerous legislative successes since then. The people behind it have been involved in grassroots political activism for a long time, both here in Arizona and in other states. Together, they bring a wealth of practical experience to the organization, as well as the knowledge and connections to get the job done when the time comes. All that is needed is the practical strength in numbers that is politically necessary to accomplish the tasks that need to be accomplished. Much like rolling a boulder uphill, passing good legislation (or stopping bad legislation) is best accomplished by a large, determined group with a good plan. We’ve got the plan and the determination; you can help us get the numbers.
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What do I get for my membership?
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In a practical sense, you get an organization you can use to learn how your state government functions, and how you can more actively participate in that government. You get full-time volunteers who, as registered lobbyists, will represent your interests at the capitol. You get alerted to important legislative news on issues of concern to our membership, including updates on bills we are tracking (both for and against) and any regulatory changes we hear of that will affect the rights of our membership. In a more philosophical sense, you get another ally in the never-ending fight to preserve our freedom, and we don’t know of anyone who can honestly say that they have too many allies in that fight.
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Will there be more to come, like membership meetings, for example?
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There is a provision for membership meetings in our Bylaws. We intend to be responsive to our membership, and to run this organization they way they want it to be run, within the limits of our mandate. As such, we will expand our activities in accordance with their wishes, our mandate, and the size of our bank account.
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