How did Gun Control Fare in the 2019 Session?

As you may recall, in the spring of last year, quite a few pieces of gun control legislation were proposed to be run in the 2019 legislative session. How did these bills fare?

House Bill 87 would have made it a criminal offense if a firearm was not stored in some type of lock box when minors live in the same home. Tabled in House Committee

House Bill 190 sought to establish liability for a gun owner who allows someone to borrow their firearm and that person then commits a crime. Held in House Committee

House Bill 209 tried to create an extreme risk protective order, also known as a “red flag,” which would allow a court to order the confiscation of a person’s firearms based on an accusation of potential violence or self-harm. Not Heard in Committee

House Bill 217 aimed to prohibit open carrying within 500 feet of a school. Failed in House Committee

House Bill 331: sought to ban the use of bump stocks. Held in Committee

House Bill 418 proposed establishing universal background checks. Not Heard in Committee

In contrast, House Bill 114, run by Representative Cory Maloy, did pass. Under the bill, a person is not required “to retreat… even if safety could be achieved by retreating” from a threatening encounter. Further, the prosecutor and judge are disallowed from considering in a resulting court case that the reasonable force could have been avoided by retreating to safety.

In addition, Rep. Maloy ran H.J.R. 7, which outlined the numerous gun control laws that are already in place in Utah that could be used to “protect the vulnerable and provide necessary safeguards to those who pose a clear danger to themselves or to others.” This bill passed the Utah House, but was not heard in the Senate.

Libertas will continue to monitor and engage in the defense of people’s Second Amendment rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.