Guv: Deeper look at concealed guns
Gov. Jon Huntsman is not happy with Utah's concealed weapon permit system that has become hugely popular with out-of-state-residents. Non-residents can qualify for Utah's undercover gun permit without setting foot in the Beehive.Huntsman said during his monthly KUED press conference that he fears issuing permits to out-of-state residents is stealing Department of Public Safety resources that could be better used for Utahns.
I have yet to identify where this serves any of our state's interests by giving permits to people who in no way reside here. There's no way to measure quality control. I'm not totally comforatable with the way things are being done — and I've made my feelings known.If nothing else, Huntsman says the state should at least require applicants to come to Utah to get the permits.
Let's use it as a travel and tourism opportunity. Have them come here to our state and go through the prerequisites here, while staying in our hotels and dining in our restaurants as opposed to doing it in another state.State Sen. Scott McCoy has begun pushing the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee to look into restricting the permits to Utah residents only. But at a meeting last week, Republican committee members were not enthusiastic about revisiting the issue. Rep. Carl Wimmer said McCoy's suggestion is a "solution looking for a problem." "Blood isn't running in the streets," Wimmer said.
Huntsman's comments came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Constitution protects an individual’s right to have a gun, not just the right of the states to maintain militias. The court said the ruling does not affect states' regulation of concealed weapons.
Obviously, until Utah permit holders start causing problems, the Lege is not about to restrict Utah's program. And DPS, which depends on the Legislature for funding, is not going to alienate law-and-order-and-guns types like Rep. Curt Oda, by pushing the issue.
Huntsman and McCoy's best bet is to call for a detailed audit to find out if the program's costs are really covered by its modest fees. An audit several years ago indicated the true costs of the permits are much higher than supporters say.
4 Comments:
I don't think the permits are even legal outside of the state, in the sense that a Utah permit doesn't give you the right to carry a concealed weapon in California. Of course the funny thing about the permits is that our legislators are fine with Californians obtaining concealed weapons permits in Utah, but not so fine with Utahns obtaining gay marriages in California and bringing them back to Utah.
I like this idea; actually, let's require a 7-day stay to "process" the application - enough time for a weekly condo rental :) Why not? - all these other states stick it to tourists; rent a car in Las Vegas and the taxes are almost as much as the price of the car.
Seriously ...
I'm a staunch 2nd Amendment supporter; however, a Utah CCW shouldn't be the nation's de-facto "gun permit". If your own state won't give you a permit, gun owners THERE should get off their asses and change their laws.
At the very least, CCWs should not be issued to a resident of any state that doesn't recognize "ours". I don't believe we should recognize the CCWs of a resident of any state the doesn't recognize ours. As of now, we recognize all other states.
Hopefully today's SC ruling will lead to "shall issue" laws in all 50 states. I bet Mayor Bloomberg is one pissed off dude right now :)
Need to add to my other comments above ...
Let's do a "Visit Utah" (and get your CCW while here) ad in the NYC newspapers and local tv stations.
Utah would get TONS of free advertising on every talk show nationwide. We (Utah) couldn't pay for that kind of advertising.
As Mastercard says, "Priceless" :)
To the first comment poster "anonymous", here is the documentation at the Dept. of Public Safety regarding reciprocity of permits, http://bci.utah.gov/CFP/CFPFAQ/FAQOther.html The thing that makes a Utah permit so desirable is that it is the most widely recognized concealed carry permit in the nation. BTW, the Peoples Republic of California is one of the states that doesn't recognize the Utah permit.
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