AZ border militia

[Ringo]

You know the type, wan-a-bees, with big egos and lots of big guns they barely know how to use.

Sounds all to familiar.

[SFC]

Article 16 Section 1 - Composition of militia. The militia of the state of Arizona shall consist of all capable citizens of the state between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, and of those between said ages who shall have declared their intention to become citizens of the United States, residing therein, subject to such exemptions as now exist, or as may hereafter be created, by the laws of the United States or of this state.

Article 16 Section 2 - Composition and designation of organized militia The organized militia shall be designated "The National Guard of Arizona," and shall consist of such organized military bodies as now exist under the laws of the territory of Arizona or as may hereafter be authorized by law.

Article 4 Part 2 Section 4 - Disqualification for membership in Legislature
No person holding any public office of profit or trust under the authority of the United States, or of this state, shall be a member of the legislature; Provided, that appointments in the state militia and the offices of notary public, justice of the peace, United States commissioner, and postmaster of the fourth class, shall not work disqualification for membership within the meaning of this section.

[dmaxx3500]

on other thought,,we have alot of recently returning military people from iraq and afganistan,who are trained and in need of work,why couldn't these guys [and girls] be used to work the border,,theve protected the u.s.a. overseas ,, why not here?

[rifleshooter474]

Many police agencies use Citizen Observer Patrols to augment their force. I would have no problem with trained volunteers equipped with radios and GPS trackers acting as another set of eyes for the Border Patrol, but a "militia"?? Not a chance. A bunch of gun-toting, Rambo Jrs wandering around in the desert would turn into a nightmare rather quickly. Forget about the potential body count and lawsuits flying around, it'll probably only be a matter of hours before some of these yahoos get stranded somewhere in the desert prompting a large (and expensive) SAR operation.

I can see it now.....the darkness pierced by the TV camera crew's lights as Floyd, Earl, and Bubba emerge from the rescue helocopter shivering in blankets, dehydrated, and all their hard-earned "militia cred" gone down the drain......

I used to be a BIG supporter of my local police wanted to do what I could to keep crime out of my hood, I Used to be, what I found out you help them that's great you run into a problem helping them, you are on your own.
They forget who you are BIG time.

After my having to deal with them over my pointing a firearm 11 Month ordeal and full jury trial..With me being found not guilty.

Then have to hear this stupid TPD cop tell me the jury got it wrong in my mind you are guilty. Yeah I don't help my local cops anymore.

[Tucker's Mom]

on other thought,,we have alot of recently returning military people from iraq and afganistan,who are trained and in need of work,why couldn't these guys [and girls] be used to work the border,,theve protected the u.s.a. overseas ,, why not here?

I second that!
+100%

[SFC]

on other thought,,we have alot of recently returning military people from iraq and afganistan,who are trained and in need of work,why couldn't these guys [and girls] be used to work the border,,theve protected the u.s.a. overseas ,, why not here?

I do not know if I would go along with this as yes they have returned from a combat area where the rules of engagemnet are not the same as it would be here in this situation. Yes they were all on teams of some sort, but not the same teams here, leaders would have to coordinate with the proper authorities which would be a disaster in the making. Most combat leaders have their orders that require surveillance, intelligence gathering, seek out and capture or search and destroy among others. Living here in Arizona I sort of get an uneasy feeling when an uninvited group that call themselves militia want to come in and think they can help, but could do nothing more than to start an open border war killing innocent people who do not even carry a friearm.

Could this possibly work, well maybe if the univited groups volunteered to the governor of Arizona asking to to take classes or joing our National Guard to learn the ways of our deserts and the struggles we are having. Even if it were approved, highly unlikely, who would foot the bill for ammo, food, water. transportation, boots, clothes, etc., not Arizona we a are 2 billion dollars in dept already and cannot even reach an agreement on how to settle this mild fortune to be paid back let alone adding more to the mix.

I see this every day on the news Border Wars and how the sheriff's from Maricopa and Pinal Counties are handling the situations at night and day and the last thing they need right now is the the unknown running around our deserts confusing the issues and wasting the time of the possies doing their jobs.

The one element that causes Arizona the most difficulties is the Federal Goverment by taking away the authority of the sheriff departments

Militias will work if properly instituted within the local law enforement and not allowed to become loose canons.

[Terminal Lance]

Haha how can you say trained combat veterans would be bad for this. So long as they go through proper channels and abide by regulations set forth by the state then why shouldn't they form a "well regulated militia" uh oh looks like b2Tall forgot about the part of the second amendment that doesn't concern him personally having a gun on him.

[Pinnacle Safety]

If you have a company you surely can work for free as long as no local or state agencey doesint mind and in the security field you can detain for the proper authorities so they would assume all liability you have private prisons maybe this is next corporate law enforcement agencies

[kingbooker]

As a prior government employee I believe that these groups may be our only hope. The politicians are the ones hindering border security. Has anyone heard of the Fast and Furious operation that went terribly wrong. Agents were ordered to stand down, how can u protect the border with leadership like that? As long as civilians follow state and federal laws I don't see a issue. In Texas they must provided prisoners with medical attention and water. Also they must contact the authorities immediately.

[Once Bitten]

From the Arizona Constitution:
Article 2, Section 26,
"Section 26. The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain, or employ an armed body of men. "

I think this prevents a militia.