Everytown, Utah Moms Demand Action Criticize House Committee Vote in Favor of Legislation That Would Allow Untrained, Unlicensed People to Carry Hidden, Loaded Guns in Public

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and a member of the Everytown Survivor Network, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today criticized lawmakers in the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee for voting in favor of House Bill 237, legislation that would dismantle Utah’s current concealed carry licensing system and would allow the public carry of hidden, loaded handguns with no permit and no safety training, including by people known to law enforcement to be a threat to public safety.

Utah’s current permitting system ensures that certain core public safety standards are preserved, including requiring applicants to have taken a safety training course and to have undergone a criminal background check before obtaining a permit to carry, and providing law enforcement the authority to deny a permit to people who pose a danger to the community.

STATEMENT FROM TERRI GILFILLAN, A VOLUNTEER WITH THE UTAH CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Our lawmakers today made a dangerous vote in support of House Bill 237 and in their debates about this legislation, have attempted to try and pull the wool over our eyes by claiming House Bill 237 will address domestic violence. Plain and simple: House Bill 237 is an irresponsible policy that would allow people with no permit, no safety training and even certain people convicted of violent crimes to carry hidden, loaded guns in our communities. This bill purports to address domestic violence, but in fact, it would dismantle the permitting system that currently helps keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. It would strip the ability of our law enforcement officials to deny carry permits to people who present a danger to our communities, including those with a known pattern of domestic violence and abusers who have made repeated violent threats against their partners. We’ve seen right through this flagrant disregard of public safety and it is time for our legislators to reject this dangerous gun lobby priority. The safety of our families and communities should come first.”

STATEMENT FROM CAROLYN TUFT, A MEMBER OF THE EVERYTOWN SURVIVOR NETWORK WHOSE DAUGHTER WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN THE FEBRUARY 2007 TROLLEY SQUARE SHOOTING:

“It has been ten years since I lost my daughter, Kirsten, to a random act of gun violence while out shopping for Valentine’s Day cards. Kirsten should be 25 years old now, but she never got the chance to grow up. It is in her memory that I fight for common-sense gun safety legislation and oppose the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda. Granting concealed carry permits to people not required to pass a criminal background check or take a safety training course puts our communities at risk. Our elected leaders should stand up for the life of my daughter and their constituents by rejecting this legislation.”