Senate leaders say they like the idea of honoring the late Utah gun inventor John Moses Browning with a state holiday, but aren't set on having it share a day with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain , is proposing the holiday for the Ogden inventor of automatic weapons, and paired it with MLK Day to avoid the cost of adding a separate holiday. But Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, said Wednesday that sensitivity to the King holiday could make it appropriate to choose another date -- either standing alone or paired with another federal holiday.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins said it's appropriate to honor Browning, and he personally sees no conflict in doing so on a day that already honors a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"Guns keep peace," Jenkins said.