The Utah chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action issued the following statement after the Utah State House advanced SB 115, an extreme proposal that would tie the hands of local Utah officials by further prohibiting them from taking steps to prevent gun violence in their communities. The bill moves back to the Senate for concurrence and then will move to Governor Cox’s desk.
“Our lawmakers have failed us once again,” said Helen Droitsch, a volunteer leader with the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Taking away any autonomy our local governments have and putting their fate in the gun lobby is just another thing on the long list of disappointments from our so-called leaders. We hope Governor Cox follows his oath to protect Utah citizens and immediately vetoes this bill.”
Local leaders should be able to decide what is best for their communities. Utah already has a law that prevents counties, municipalities and local officials from creating local laws or rules that regulate firearms in almost any way. This bill would unnecessarily expand that law and line the pockets of gun lobby executives outside of Utah with lawsuits against already ailing Utah cities. Every year, gun violence costs Utah $2.4 billion, of which $47.5 million is paid by taxpayers – and this law could potentially increase that number.
More information about gun violence in Utah is available here.
