This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Legislators took a first step Thursday to erase a law that now makes it a felony to carry a firearm or "dangerous weapon" onto a public transit bus.

The House transportation panel voted 9-1 to advance HB67 to the full House to do away with that current law.

Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, the bill's sponsor, said merely carrying a gun or weapon on a sidewalk is not against the law, and should not be on a bus either. He said other laws appropriately ban and punish brandishing or using such weapons.

"If it's going to be a crime on the street, it can be a crime on the bus. I'm OK with that. But it needs to be the same and not escalate up to be a felony," he said.

Thurston ran a similar bill last year without success. He said he introduced it when a constituent worried that he could not openly carry a gun as he commuted to school.

"I told him to get a concealed-carry permit as a solution," since such permit holders may legally carry guns on buses. But Thurston said he realized others could technically be committing felonies without realizing it with even pocketknives or scissors.

For example, he said he sometimes takes a knife from home to cut a cake at work. "I didn't realize I was committing a felony by having a 10-inch blade in my backpack."

Also, Thurston added that getting rid of the law may prevent unwarranted police hassles of the homeless or others with a pocketknife or scissors.

Rep. Carol Moss, D-Holladay, opposed the bill. She said being on a bus is different than being on a street, and someone who is uncomfortable with seeing a weapon could not easily leave — nor escape if violence occurs.