Opinion on gun rights in Salt Lake City, UT area

[leadcounsel]

I'm considering a move to the Salt Lake City area and am interested in opinions from members that have lived there on the public opinion of gun rights and gun laws. As a pro-2A and strong national defense libertarian it's important that I live someplace I can tolerate. Are there good gun ranges? Also, any other sound advice on the area is welcomed - I have many outdoors hobbies and interests. I'm an avid knuckledragger (aka snowboarder) and heard the slopes are epic there. Finally, how is the social atmosphere for a young professional that likes to go out, date and drink? Let's keep this gun related, but the other information is key too.

Thanks.

 

[camslam]

I'm considering a move to the Salt Lake City area and am interested in opinions from members that have lived there on the public opinion of gun rights and gun laws. As a pro-2A and strong national defense libertarian it's important that I live someplace I can tolerate. Are there good gun ranges?

Personally I think Utah has some of the best gun laws in the land. Their CCW permit is one of the top for reciprocity in the country, it allows you to carry in most places, including schools, restaurants, etc... There is no problem owning Class III weapons and outside of the idiot Salt Lake Police Chief, Chris Burbank, most of the state is very pro 2nd amendment.

There are plenty of gun ranges and gun shops.

Also, any other sound advice on the area is welcomed - I have many outdoors hobbies and interests. I'm an avid knuckledragger (aka snowboarder) and heard the slopes are epic there. Finally, how is the social atmosphere for a young professional that likes to go out, date and drink? Let's keep this gun related, but the other information is key too.

If you are looking for awesome snow, SLC is the place to be. You are literally 50 minutes from at least 9 great ski resorts and the snowboarding is awesome at all of them except Alta. (They don't allow snowboarders).

Social is like plenty of other places, plenty of places to eat, drink, meet people.

Good luck.

 

[SaxonPig]

Was there 4 years and as I recall there were virtually no state gun laws beyond what the feds mandated. Carry permits on demand that were good almost everywhere you went and general pro-2nd attitude (except for the Salt Lake Tribune which is virulently anti and the ultra Liberal whack job mayor of SLC Rocky Anderson).

 

[KenW.]

State laws rule! Cities and Counties are prohibited from enacting any weapon laws more restrictive than the state law.

For CCW it is a shall issue state. Local law enforcement is not involved in the issuance of a permit. I hear that in some states the local sheriff can shut down a permit; that must stink.

No permit required to buy or possess; just to carry concealed.

For partying, I hear the port-of-call in SLC is a good place... I stay home or go the VFW.

 

[JDoe]

Great site for general info on the city...

http://www.city-data.com/city/Salt-Lake-City-Utah.html

Here's enough discussion on Salt Lake City to keep you reading for days...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/salt-lake-city-area/

 

[BHPshooter]

I live in Tooele, which is one of SLC's bedroom communities.

Personally, I don't think I'll ever leave Utah. And if I did, there's only about 5 other states I'd even consider. For gun laws, IMO, we're the best in the nation. We have THE BEST CCW permit in the nation. We can carry almost anywhere, including schools and bars, and we have more reciprocity than any other state.

Utah has its share of busybodies trying to legislate things, but for the most part, they don't get anywhere.

At least come and visit!
Wes

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Correia

We have a moderator, Larry Correia, who runs a gun store in Draper (part of greater SLC), trains shooters, and who's active in gun rights, right where you're looking.

If you need answers to specific questions on carry law and stuff, Larry (or, indeed Wes, above) can give you some guidance.

Utah is ideally situated for shooters. It is literally surrounded by gun-friendly states (well, I can't speak to Colorado [although I think it mostly is], but the others -- AZ, NM, NV, ID, WY -- are gunny states).

(Of course, there's always Idaho, with that whole "DD214 = CCW" thing, but I dunno what kind of economic infrastructure you require.)

So, whan ya comin' home, soldier?

 

[flynlr]

if you can only shoot tracers from your guns then avoid this place . other then that. Come On down up left right.

 

[Rugerlvr]

Salt Lake proper (the area between the capitol building and 3300 South and the Airport and the University of Utah) is semi-liberal. Definitely not like an eastern city, but more so than the rest of the state. It's kind of like Utah's Austin.

But the rest of the valley is pretty conservative.

I will say one thing. We like our guns out here. There are very few anti-politicians, the exception being the locals from parts of Salt Lake. We have extremely good gun laws.

We have Shall Issue CFPs, No waiting periods after a clean NICS check for handguns. Class III is no problem. State premption of municipal gun laws, a very gun-friendly legislature, concealed carry on state university campuses, Immunity from civil liability for justified self-defense on your own property... There are a number of ranges in town. One major outdoor range, and a number of smaller ranges. We have a pretty big open carry group which is very active...

If you move here, my recommendation is don't move to downtown SLC, (You might not be able to afford it anyway.) Move to one of the surrounding cities such as Murray, Taylorsville, West Jordan, Midvale... Less trouble if you want to own Class III, and you might find me as one of your neighbors I will say that you'll encounter more anti politicians (and residents) the further east you move in the valley.

As far as outdoor activites, Utah is world class. You can walk out of your door in the Salt Lake Valley, and in 20 minutes you can be in the woods for hiking, mountain biking, camping... In the winter, skiing and snowboarding. If you wander a little further (60 minutes) afield you've got places for ATV use, waterskiing, windsurfing, paragliding, canyoneering, river running, 4-wheeling... The list could go on forever.

The only thing that could use some improvement around here is our slightly strange liquor laws...

Personally I think it's an awsome place to live.

P.S. Oh yeah, check out the Firearms section of the classifieds web site for our #1 ranked TV station:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=231&cat=185

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=231&cat=377

If that doesn't convince you that there's a very active gun culture here, nothing will.

 

[weisse52]

Yeah. What they said!

 

[wagoneer1019]

I grew up in SLC. good gun laws. Some famous Mormon gun people include John Moses Browning and Gale McMillan.
For a great laugh check out the alcohol laws.

 

[SuperNaut]

If you are an outdoorsman then Utah is paradise, seriously. It is why I moved back. There is also a good mix of people here and communities to support them. If you are conservative, look at homes in the Alpine/American Fork/Provo area. If you are liberal look for homes in the Avenues, University area, or Park City. If you are somewhere in-between (like me) East-side mid-valley is great (Sugarhouse/Holladay/Millcreek).

In SLC you are literally, in any direction, 20-30 minutes away from great hikes, bikes, walks, etc. Any one of the canyons along the Wasatch Front are beautiful. If you go further, the Uintahs are simply amazing. If you go further South then you are in red-rock country with world-class mountain biking and off-roading. The Jeep Safari in Moab is not to be missed. People come from all over the world to partake in this event. If you are a hardy sort, desert camping/activities can be incredible.

There is honestly too little time to cover all of the great locations in Utah, both in this post and in real life. Even areas that seem desolate will surprise you with little oases, ghost towns, pocket communities, and great local color. Some of the outlying rural/semi-rural communities are unexpectedly great: Heber, Kamas, Lehi, Price, Cedar City, etc.

The Western mentality and politics can be difficult for some to grasp. We have a strong independent streak but we can move between urban and rural settings with ease. There isn't really a dividing line out here. For example, in Holladay where I live (smack dab in the middle of Salt Lake) I'm a block away from an equestrian school as well as an ultra-liberal pocket community.

I love it here.

That's not to say that there aren't negatives. The liquor laws are idiotic and to an outsider LDS members can be quite cliquish, actually even for other LDS members. I know that some out-of-state Mormons find Utah Mormons to be a little overly-pious. Kind of like a Catholic in Rome.

 

[fatelk]

It's interesting for me to read this thread, actually thought about starting one myself. My job of 8+ years is going away soon, and I am being offered a transfer to Lehi, just south of SLC. I'm planning on going down to check it out in a couple weeks, will continue to watch this thread.

I'm not Mormon, but as a dedicated family man who doesn't drink or party, I figure I might fit in fairly well there.

If we choose the transfer, it's either Utah, Phoenix, or Dallas. My wife and I both grew up in the northwest, small towns, and don't think we could handle the other choices very well. My wife, actually, is dead-set against moving at all, as we've started putting down roots here and would be leaving a lot. Some things are more important than money, but you have to pay the bills, too.

Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread, just wondering about the same info on the same area. Good luck on the move.

 

[weisse52]

You would have to be some kind of wacked out screaming liberal nut case to not like the gun laws and outdoor activities that this state has to offer.
I grew up in Kentucky and lived all over the mid-west. I came out here for a one year assignment and was hooked. Hooked to the point that I went back and took an early retirement just so I could come back here.

I am not LDS, but do live in Bountiful which, I think has the highest numbers of LDS and we are warmly received and included. It would be hard to like the outdoors and not enjoy Utah / SLC.


And I am sorry if I have offended any wacked out screaming liberal nut cases that may be reading this. You know who you are!

 

[SLCscottie]

Utah is Great!!!

I started in Ohio and Lived in Los Angeles. Utah is my favorite. Gun Friendly? Oh yea. I think most of my neighbors have firearms. There is a group of us that shares gun magazines and goes shooting with each other. It's a great time.

Plenty of places to go shooting indoors and outdoors.

Indoor:
Doug's Shoot-n-Sports in Taylorsville.
Impact Guns in West Valley/Kerans.
Get Some Guns and Ammo in Midvale/Murray. (you can rent fully auto guns there)

Outdoor:
Lee Kay outdoor range in West Valley City. 50yd, 100yd, 200yd, 300yd. Trap and Skeet next door. Plus another Trap Range in Magna(?)
Suppose to be a new, nice outdoor range up Parley's Canyon on I-80. I'm going to have to try this one.

West Desert has places to go shooting for plinking. Takes some gas money though.

Oh yea. Lehi has Cabelas. Cabelas is suppose to be the 2nd most visited place in Utah for tourists.

You will love it here.

Good Luck

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

SLC is like any metropolitan city, liberal. However, Utah in general is very conservative and gun laws are better there than in most states.