From today's Deseret News. While I think it is great that police officers, current and retired will likely soon have a greater ability to protect themselves as they travel out of their home States, it's too bad our senior senator doesn't think abused women, witnesses in crimes, or any other law abiding citizen deserves the same rights.
(A couple of years ago I asked Hatch about this at the local Friends of the NRA dinner. He replied that for congress to require States to allow nationwide CCW for non-cops would vioate federalism. For police--active or retired--the public safety benefits outweighed those concerns.
For those who suggest that this is "step in the right direction," I will just ask two question:
Now that current and retired police officers have nationwide CCW (assumming Bush signs the bill), how many of them are going to lobby to get nationwide CCW for non-cops? What incentive is there for police officers (or their chiefs or union reps) to NOT lobby AGAINST nationwide CCW for non-cops?
Senate OKs bill to let police carry concealed weapons
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
A bill approved by the U.S. Senate late Wednesday puts law enforcement officers in Utah and the rest of the country a step closer to being allowed to carry concealed firearms at all times.
The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, HR218, is now on its way to President Bush's desk to be signed.
The bill would allow current and retired police officers who meet certain qualifications to carry a concealed weapon with them if they are not on duty and even if they cross state lines.
The bill does not, however, supercede state laws that allow private citizens to ban concealed weapons on their private properties such as schools and churches.
Sen. Orrin Hatch co-sponsored the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003. He said in a statement that the bill passed Wednesday was important because officers never know when they might be confronted by a person they sent to jail years ago.
"While police officers may not remember the name and face of every criminal he or she has locked behind bars, criminals often have long and exacting memories which make officers a target in or out of uniform, active or retired, on duty or off," Hatch said in his statement.
Supporters of the bill argued the public would also be more protected by having additional off-duty officers, both current and former, prepared to respond to violent situations they happen to come across.
"I think it's a great piece of legislation," said Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard, who is also head of the National Sheriff's Association.
Kennard already requires all his deputies to have reasonable access to their weapons at all times, even if they're off duty. He said it only helps to have qualified officers armed at all times.
"I've been left feeling somewhat naked when I come across situations (out of state) when I wish I had a weapon to back another officer," he said.
The bill specifically defines which officers are eligible to carry a firearm full-time across state boundaries.
Current officers must have arrest power and be qualified by their home department to carry a firearm.
Former officers must have at least 15 years experience and be retired in good standing. They must also requalify annually and meet the same firearm qualification standards as active law enforcers in the state in which they reside.
The bill does not allow officers to carry concealed weapons when intoxicated, and they have to have identification with them when carrying the firearm.
The state Department of Public Safety said Thursday it was in the process of reviewing the new bill to make sure it was in compliance.
Subject: Fw: Ladies Trap Shooting Cilnic to be Held in Heber City
Date: 12 Jul 2004 15:00:31 GMT
For those interested in trap shooting...
==================
Charles Hardy
<utbagpiper@juno.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 8:32 PM
For Immediate Release:
July 12, 2004
'Women on Target' & 'Becoming an Outdoors Woman' Present Ladies Only Trapshooting Clinic in Heber City, Utah
Women who would like to learn how to trapshoot, and those who would like to polish up their trapshooting skills, are invited to a Ladies Only Instructional Clinic at Heber Valley Gun Club on Saturday, August 7.
The clinic is sponsored by NRA's 'Women on Target' and Utah DWR's 'Becoming an Outdoors Woman' programs, both dedicated to introducing women to a variety of outdoor recreational activities in safe and comfortable environments. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Space is limited and filling up fast.
The clinic features gun safety and the fundamentals of shotgun shooting, with both classroom and range instruction. B.O.W. instructors, John and Louise Bradshaw and Gene Ekenstam, have many years of experience teaching women's shotgun clinics and are expertly equipped to the lead the Heber City clinic.
The $20 cost includes instruction, loaner guns, targets, one box of ammunition, ear/eye protection, take-home instructional materials and lunch. Lot of fun shooting contests for prizes will follow the instructional part of the clinic, later in the afternoon. To pre-register, please contact Wendy Mair 435-671-2365 or wendymair@earthlink.net.
For additional information or photos, please contact:
Ogden police were looking Monday for a man who allegedly stabbed two hikers in an apparently random attack.
Just before noon, a mother and her two daughters, ages 20 and 15, were hiking in the foothills above the Mount Ogden Golf Course when a man carrying a knife attacked them without warning, said Ogden Police Assistant Chief Randy Watt.
The women tried to fend off the attacker, who grabbed the sisters. The 20-year-old sister was stabbed in the torso, and the other received a cut on the arm, Watt said.
Despite being stabbed, the sisters were able to break free from the attacker and run for help. They found a group of golfers who took them to the clubhouse, Watt said.
The two victims were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were released Monday afternoon.
Ogden police with assistance from the FBI, K-9s and the Department of Public Safety helicopter searched the area for hours Monday but did not find the attacker.
He was described as a white male 25 to 30 years old with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray stocking cap and gray sweat suit.
Investigators did not have a lot of information about the case to release Monday. Watt said a motive for the attack was not known. He also could not comment on whether the assailant said anything to the women before or during the attack.
Anyone who was in the area near the Mount Ogden Golf Course up until 1 p.m. Monday is asked to call police at 801-629-8108. Anyone with information about the case can also call the same number.
A short quote from yours truly near the bottom of this article.
Maybe a few letters to the editor explaining that city kids have legitimate reasons to be in possession of weapons as well as country kids, including plinking, organized sport shooting (didn't we recently host the winter Olympics with biathalon?), etc.
Indeed, even in the People's Republic of Massachussetts, my college had a very competitive pistol team. Is there any reason a kid under 18 should not be able to become proficient in those various aspects of the shooting sports (including everything from .22 slow fire right on up to the IPSC competitions?) Sounds like a legit reason for a minor to have a gun to me, though I'd hope he wasn't carrying it around Liberty park loaded and tucked into his waisteband. ;) It is all but impossible for a responsible young person to enjoy a perfectly legit sport these days unless mommy or daddy can baby sit him or her the whole time.
Also note that Rep. Ty McCartney thinks a pocketknife is a deadly weapon. Man, the folding buckknives that so many of us carried around in school would probably really freak this guy out. He gives both politicians AND cops a bad name.
I had a call today from a DesNews reporter on this same topic so look for that story tomorrow.
The law puts youths illegally handling guns on a par with littering.
Both violations are misdemeanors.
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson says young people who illegally carry guns and those who get them the weapons should be more severely punished.
This week, he sent a letter to state lawmakers asking their help to increase the penalty for a minor possessing an illegal firearm and for providing a handgun to a minor, from class B misdemeanors to at least third-degree felonies.
He also wants parents or guardians who know their minor children have dangerous weapons to be charged at that higher level.
"A class B misdemeanor is an almost inconsequential penalty for something as serious as being in illegal possession of a gun -- a weapon which could easily be used to kill or maim another person," Anderson wrote. "In fact, being prepared to kill or maim another person -- or threatening to kill or maim -- is the only reason for these young people to be carrying firearms in our city."
The letter was prompted by last month's shooting at Salt Lake City's Liberty Park. A 14-year-old shooter and his 17-year friend who allegedly handed him the gun were charged with three counts of discharging a firearm. Darrell Johnson admitted Monday in court that he shot an 18-year old, sending him to the hospital for a gunshot wound to the back.
Anderson's suggestions wouldn't alter Johnson's situation. Discharging a firearm is already a second-degree felony. Deeda Seed, the mayor's spokeswoman, said the changes could make minors and adults "less cavalier" about illegally possessing or providing guns.
"We're not saying that adults shouldn't have the right to own guns," Seed said, noting the mayor owns a handgun. "This is about young people -- teenagers -- and guns. Young people should not have guns unless they live in the country and they're using them for hunting with their parents."
From July 1, 2003, to June 30, 645 minors were either suspects, victims or witnesses in incidents in which a firearm was illegally used in Salt Lake City, according to the letter. Police arrested 102 juveniles for gun-related crimes.
State law says minors under 18 cannot possess a handgun. They also cannot possess a "dangerous weapon" -- defined as being capable of causing death or serious injury -- without their parents' permission or oversight.
Rep. Ty McCartney, D-Salt Lake City, agrees there is no "legitimate reason a juvenile needs to have a handgun."
But the former detective with the Metro Gang Unit is hesitant to charge youths with a felony for possessing a "dangerous weapon," because pocketknives could be included in that definition.
"I would be willing to look at a class A [misdemeanor], but a felony for a pocketknife I'm just not comfortable with," he said.
Charles Hardy, public policy director of Gun Owners of Utah, opposes Anderson's idea. He says it would impede youths from learning "shooting sports."
"I'm tired of responsible persons . . . being collectively punished and pre-emptively punished for the actions of criminals. Criminals belong in jail. The rest of us deserve to be left alone."
He also said Salt Lake City's gun violence should be blamed on the "failure" of the mayor. "The mayor of Sandy city hasn't felt the need to call for tougher gun laws to keep the city safe." Sandy is the fourth-largest city in the state. Salt Lake is Utah's largest.
Marla Kennedy, with the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, supports Anderson's plan but says its chances are "slim to none" in Utah's gun-friendly Legislature.
Subject: Rocky calls for more gun control--DesNews version
Date: 15 Jul 2004 16:26:03 GMT
Here is the DesNews article on this topic. Compare what gun-grabber Marla Kennedy said her, compared to what she said in the SLTrib. Either she can't even keep her story straight across two days or the two reporters really made some goofs.
Marla yesterday in SLTrib:
"Marla Kennedy, with the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, supports Anderson's plan but says its chances are "slim to none" in Utah's gun-friendly Legislature."
Marla today in DesNews:
"Lawmakers have historically passed some penalty enhancement laws ù there are dozens on the books, including those that increase the penalties for crimes committed against police officers, legislators and for gang crimes ù which may give Anderson a chance on the hill, Kennedy added.
""This is changing policy; it's a penalty enhancement," she said. "I think this has a good shot.""
In Salt Lake City, it is a class B misdemeanor to let the weeds grow too tall in your front yard ù the same class of crime minors face for violating some state gun laws.
Mayor Rocky Anderson, who is dealing with the aftermath of a June shooting in Liberty Park, believes it's time to get serious about punishing the city's gun-toting juveniles, who committed 102 gun-related crimes in the 2003-04 fiscal year. In the June 6 shooting, which injured an 18-year-old man, a 14-year-old boy pulled the trigger.
In a letter sent Tuesday, Anderson let state lawmakers know that Utah gun laws produce "an almost inconsequential penalty" for certain juvenile gun crimes and don't help police officers in their efforts to keep citizens safe from teenage gangbangers packing heat.
"Given the proliferation of guns in our community and the fact that many of them are finding their way into the hands of children, we must take firm action," Anderson wrote.
The letter urges state lawmakers to increase three laws involving minors and guns from class B misdemeanors to at least third-degree felonies. Those laws include being a minor in possession of a dangerous weapon, providing a dangerous weapon to a minor and being a parent or guardian who knows a minor is in possession of a dangerous weapon.
"Because the rules governing the possession of firearms are solely within the Legislature's jurisdiction (since the Legislature denied cities of the power to regulate firearms), we need your help," Anderson wrote.
Gun rights advocates argue a penalty enhancement ù whether for the offending juveniles or adults ù is unnecessary.
"There are more than enough laws with more than enough penalties on the books," said Charles Hardy, policy director for Gun Owners of Utah (GOUtah!), who frequently lobbies the Legislature. "Any prosecutor serious about taking a criminal off the street, even a juvenile, doesn't need a felony enhancement. In Liberty Park, you essentially had an attempted murder. That's a felony in any jurisdiction."
In addition to state law, it is also a federal crime for any adult to sell, deliver or transfer a gun to a juvenile. The federal penalty for doing so is up to a year in federal prison, unless there is reason to believe the minor would use the weapon to commit a violent crime, and then the penalty is up to 10 years.
There are some exceptions, including those juveniles who have the written permission of a parent or if the gun is being used in connection with hunting, farm or ranch management, or as part of a safety instruction course.
Hardy also said he is unaware of any penalty laid out in state or federal statute that actually serves as a deterrent to crime.
"We're still a capital punishment state," said Hardy, who emphasized he was speaking on behalf of himself only and not for GOUtah! "If the big death penalty won't deter you from the attempted homicide, then a felony change (in gun laws related to juveniles) won't either."
Hardy said Anderson shouldn't be asking the Legislature to solve what appears to be a crime problem in Salt Lake City.
But the Legislature has left the mayor no other choice, said Marla Kennedy, executive director of Utah's Gun Violence Prevention Center. Twice in the last five years, bills have passed, stating that only the Legislature has the authority to make gun policy.
"The mayor has no choice but to go begging at (the Legislature's) feet," Kennedy said. "I think he's doing what he should be doing. If he has any luck with them, I've got a few more ideas for him."
Anderson's plea is a "good first step" toward changing Utah's "bad gun policy," Kennedy added. From concealed weapons permit laws to those that allows permit holders to carry guns onto school campuses, the state has a permissive attitude toward gun rights and has a poor record of passing laws that increase safety, she said.
Lawmakers have historically passed some penalty enhancement laws ù there are dozens on the books, including those that increase the penalties for crimes committed against police officers, legislators and for gang crimes ù which may give Anderson a chance on the hill, Kennedy added.
"This is changing policy; it's a penalty enhancement," she said. "I think this has a good shot."
This tripe needs a good reponse, ideally from women who choose to be prepared to defend themselves...
Letters to the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune can be emailed to <letters@sltrib.com>. Be sure to include your full name, full address, and phone number. Address and phone number used to verify authorship; only name and city/State are printed.
Charles
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2382371
Three steps back
Don Myrup (Forum, July 23) thinks that if more women carry handguns, fewer will be victimized. This seems logical, but in looking at the bigger picture it may be taking one step forward and three steps back.
A successful defense requires correct identification of who commits crimes, where, why and how. Myrup assumes that most women are victimized in public by strangers. In truth, family members or ôfriendsö commit many murders and rapes. Much of this happens in homes, not in public, and most murders are by gunshot.
Guns carried in public only guard against the rarest types of violence. And it's questionable that this is an effective defense even then. Study after study shows that relaxing concealed-carry laws does not reduce crime. Fact is, Utah's violent crime rates rose after our handgun laws changed in 1994 and continued upwards for years.
So why not encourage women to keep a gun at home where most of the threat is? There's growing research evidence that this boomerangs. A gun in the home dramatically raises a woman's risk of being shot. In fact, everyone in the house is at heightened risk. And nationally, child gunshot deaths and injuries are disproportionately high where gun ownership rates are highest.
It's senseless to combat a remote risk in one setting at the price of intensifying risks elsewhere.
Subject: Anti gun / Anti-self defense editorial from DesNews
Date: 29 Jul 2004 14:29:54 GMT
Gee, I can't imagine why anyone might want to carry a self-defense weapon into "public venues" rather than barricading themselves in their homes and adopting a bunker mentality, unable to defend themselves while in public. This editorial goes FAR beyond simply supporting private emloyment policies that prohibit the otherwise lawful possession of guns (as dubious as even that stand would be). It is a flat out assault on the heart of both our concealed weapons permit law as well as the private property and privacy rights of employees who choose to drive private autos to work.
A concealed weapons permit that is not valid in a large number of public places is next to worthless. And employment policies that prohibit guns inside your private car parked in a company parking lot also generally prohibit a host of other perfectly legal items including alcohol (Anybody ever stop by a store on a lunch hour to restock a wetbar or grab something for a romantic dinner?), audio or video recording devices, or even non-lethal weapons. Certainly, some of these items might be legitimately excluded from the workplace itself. But why should an employer be able to reach inside your private car and tell you that your tape recorder (maybe used to make notes to yourself, or to take notes in that college class you attend just before or just after work) is grounds to be fired? AOL's actions and this DesNews editorial are NOTHING but anti-gun, anti-self-defense.
Letters to the editor can be emailed to <letters@desnews.com>. Be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number. Address/phone number are used to verify authorship; only name and city/State are published.
Utahns who struggle with their Legislature's insistence that concealed weapon holders should be permitted to tote guns into public schools, university campuses and some other public buildings were, undoubtedly, pleased with a recent Utah Supreme Court ruling that gives heft to private employers' policies to ban guns from the workplace.
The ruling centered on three employees of America Online Inc., who were fired from the company's Ogden call center in 2000 after they transferred guns between vehicles in the company parking lot. The company maintained the three men were fired for violating its "Workplace Violence Prevention Policy." The three men filed a lawsuit claiming they were wrongfully terminated because their right to possess guns was protected by the 2nd Amendment.
The court, in upholding a lower court decision, ruled that AOL had the right to fire the men because of Utah's at-will employment law. In a unanimous ruling, the court held that "the mature at-will employment law in the state of Utah rejects the idea that, in the face of a freely entered-into agreement to the contrary, an employee has the right to carry a firearm on his employer's premises."
While the court's ruling does not apply to public buildings or property, it furthers debate of what the opinion describes as "an evolving discussion about the role of firearms in our society."
The AOL case illustrates the considerable tug between private property rights and the 2nd Amendment. The Utah Supreme Court's reading of the state law indicates that "the Legislature has purposefully declined to give the right to keep and bear arms absolute pre-eminence over the right to regulate one's own private property," the ruling said. This ruling is a boon to private employers to craft gun policy as they see fit.
While the Deseret Morning New supports the rights of private property owners and employers to establish their own rules regarding guns on their property or places of work, we struggle to comprehend the rationale of Utah's laws that permit concealed weapon holders to carry guns in a number of public venues. Public opinion polls conducted over a number of years have consistently held that a majority of Utahns don't want concealed weapons in public schools and other public facilities.
When will the wishes of the "owners" of these facilities ù Utah taxpayers ù start to resonate with members of the Utah Legislature?
