cuchulainn
Member
Hey, Kirsten, your bias is hanging way out in that lede.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Feb/02272003/utah/33304.asp
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Feb/02272003/utah/33304.asp
Senate's Measure Allowing Guns on Campuses Sails Through the House
BY KIRSTEN STEWART
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
A day after banning candy and soft drinks from elementary school vending machines, the House passed a bill to allow gun-toting concealed weapon permit-holders onto school grounds.
The 56-15 stamp of approval came despite resistance from Democrats who once again tried and failed to introduce a substitute bill banning most loaded weapons from schools.
Senate Bill 108 needs only the Senate's consent on a House amendment and the governor's signature before becoming law.
Any reservations Republican House members had Wednesday were solved by an amendment to a provision in the bill that makes it easier for churches to ban guns.
Under the amendment, sponsored by Rep. Michael Styler, R-Delta, church weapons bans have to be renewed annually as opposed to every five years as allowed in the Senate version. Churches also must post notice of their policy on the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation Web site.
Drafted at the behest of the Statewide Prosecutors Association, the bill does nothing but clarify conflicts in Utah's gun laws, Styler said.
It repeals a law that bars "dangerous" weapons from schools and reinforces a statute that says concealed weapon permit-holders can carry their weapons "without restriction" except in large airports, prisons, jails and courtrooms.
Styler noted the measure is backed by the Utah Shooting Sports Council, law enforcement and the Commission on Juvenile Justice.
But it is opposed by many parents, noted Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay. "I've never had a parent call me and say, 'I'd like to see concealed weapons permit-holders to be allowed to carry their guns into schools,' " she said. "We should think about who we represent, the parents of Utah's children or special interests."
Rep. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, asked for help understanding why guns are OK at schools but not churches.
Rep. Judy Ann Buffmire, D-Millcreek, proposed a substitute bill that still would have exempted police, reserve officers and others from gun-free school zones. Modeled after a similar substitute that failed in the Senate, it also would have allowed gun-toting parents to drop their kids off at schools.
The proposal was trounced 51-17.
No one is advocating guns be brought to classrooms, said Rep. Bradley Johnson, R-Aurora. But until schools can guarantee "bad guys" will comply with the law, he asked, why should law-abiding citizens be penalized?