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AZ makes self-defense bill retroactive
The Arizona legislature has passed SB 1302, making its earlier self-defense improvements retroactive, covering any cases that had not gone to verdict by April 24, 2006.
That underscores a point about drafting statutes... ALWAYS put in a "saving clause" that says exactly what the bill affects, time-wise. Does it only relate to events that occured after enactment, or only to cases filed after its enactment, or to cases that were already in the pipeline?
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Did anybody even get prosecuted under the "assault weapons" ban?
Yes. IIRC, it was a group of 4-5 cops who built their own, thinking they were above the law.
Drafting laws ain't as easy as people think. I know because I have been involved in writing some. It works best when you have a room full of really smart people who have actually been working in the area for a long time. Your run-of-the-mill politician generally need not apply.
What about the expired Federal 'assault weapon' ban?
I wonder, is anyone still serving a sentence in Federal prison today for violating that law? A law which no longer exists?