Utah representative proposes bill to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to openly carry firearms
Sep 29, 2024, 7:00 PM
AR-15 rifles are displayed at Impact Guns on July 6, 2022. A proposed bill would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to openly carry firearms in most public spaces in Utah and prevent landlords from enforcing lease agreements that bar firearms from the premises. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A newly proposed bill would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to openly carry firearms in most public spaces in Utah and prevent landlords from enforcing lease agreements that bar firearms from the premises.
The bill is being sponsored by state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, the House majority whip, and was presented to the Legislature‘s Criminal Code Subcommittee on Sept. 16. Since that hearing, the 101-page legislation has already undergone some meaningful changes to clarify its purpose, prompted by questions from KSL.com.
Lisonbee told KSL.com Monday that the bill began as an effort to recodify outdated or convoluted sections of statute but evolved into a broader effort to address gun rights in the state because some of the current regulations around firearms are “contradictory and often confusing.”
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“The goal of the bill is to clarify firearm law in the state of Utah because citizens should know their rights,” she said. “This process subsequently raised several policy questions; and when those policy questions came up, I attempted to align (the proposed bill) with legislative intent that protects Utahns in exercising their fundamental Second Amendment rights.”
In addition to recodifying sections of statute, she said the bill allows any adult to openly carry legally obtained weapons in most public places and clarifies code to allow renters — including students on campus — to possess legal firearms on their rented property. It also adds some protections for adults who allow minors to use firearms on shooting ranges or for hunting, she said.
“One of the precautionary reasons why we are doing this is because we found that a lot of people may be violating the law without even knowing it,” Lisonbee said. “I also want to be very clear that there are no changes in this bill that remove Second Amendment rights for Utahns.”
