The Utah Legislature began its 2020 legislative session last Monday, and anti-gun lawmakers are already introducing numerous gun control bills. It is important that gun owners and sportsmen across Utah stay actively involved in these issues throughout 2020.

Multiple gun control measures have already been introduced and your legislators need to hear from you!

House Bill 109 bans most firearm sales and transfers between private individuals without first paying fees and obtaining government permission. Firearm sales between friends or neighbors would not be exempted. This proposal would have no impact on crime and is completely unenforceable.

House Bill 115 defines “firearm custodian” and makes them liable for the illegal actions of others. This measure could make law-abiding gun owners liable if their firearms were stolen and then used in a crime, shifting the responsibility from criminals to law-abiding individuals.

House Bill 136 creates a blanket requirement that all firearms be locked and stored in a manner where an unauthorized or prohibited person would be unable to access them. Gun safety and storage is a matter of personal responsibility and every person’s situation is different. It is unreasonable for the law to impose a one-size-fits-all solution. In short, this measure invades people’s homes and forces them to render their firearms useless for self-defense or become criminals.

House Bill 229 is an extreme "red flag" gun confiscation measure that authorizes the seizure of firearms and ammunition from individuals without sufficient due process. Anti-gun lawmakers have introduced this measure to damage the Second Amendment rights of Utahans. Bills similar to this one have been introduced in a number of other states, wholly supported by gun control organizations and the lawmakers they have invested in.

Constitutional rights should only be restricted with sufficient due process of law. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted when due process protections are in place.

It is more important than ever for Utah NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters to contact their lawmakers in opposition to this gun control agenda. The 2020 Session is short and bills will move very quickly.

Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org and your email inbox for NRA-ILA alerts on the latest action items. NRA-ILA will keep you updated on Second Amendment and hunting related legislation.