This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As a Utah native, I have viewed my state as a friendly, beautiful, pro-life place to live. However, given the comments on gun use by some legislators and advocates during the current Utah legislative session, it appears I have been grossly deceived.
Not only has my state been painted as rife with strange men out to assault women, but based on the testimony in support of House Bill 198, Concealed Carry Amendments, and House Bill 237, Firearm and Domestic Violence Modifications, some apparently want the state to take the official position that, "Boys will be boys, so you better arm yourselves, ladies."
Such a mentality was first expressed during testimony on HB198, which would lower the concealed carry permit age from 21 to 18. The stated purpose of the bill, as testified to in the committee hearing, is to protect students from sexual assault on campus. This rationale asks us to believe that Utah's college campuses are essentially war zones for women, and that the best way to deal with men who sexually assault women is to tell the women to be prepared to kill.
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is unwilling to accept either of these premises. Yes, sexual assault is an issue on college campuses. But it most often happens in dating situations, not random attacks, and the solution for such attacks is not for the woman to shoot her date, but to prevent such situations before they happen. One way to do this is to teach young men that women are not available for their sexual gratification on demand.
Current campus efforts to address reports of assaults more appropriately will also go much further toward reducing campus violence than telling college-bound students they must be armed at all times in order to learn safely. Such a message denigrates the dignity of all women on campus.
The second notice that Utah may be unwilling to address real solutions for women in danger came during the testimony in support of HB237. In this hearing, we heard about a terrible situation in which a violent and dangerous domestic abuser was regularly arrested and released. The bill proposes taking away the abusers' guns, which is helpful, but also throws in a provision to end state concealed carry permit requirements for everyone. The stated rationale is that this allows domestic violence victims to be armed more quickly without having to participate in the training requirements or wait for a permit to be issued. This is not a pro-life solution.
A far more effective means of protecting the victim would come through changes in law enforcement and court processes that prevent the regular release of a serial violent offender. If legislators really want to protect the sanctity of life, they should not insist on telling abuse victims they can only be safe with a firearm, knowing as we do that domestic abuse is five times more likely to turn fatal if a firearm is present. HB 237 creates a false and potentially deadly illusion of safety, tying some valuable domestic violence provisions to an effort backed by the gun lobby to undermine the minimal protections in the state's concealed carry permit process.
HB198 is moving through the Legislature. HB237 was defeated in committee, but may rise again either through motions on the House floor or in the Senate.
As an organization dedicated to protecting the dignity and sanctity of life in Utah, it is the sincere hope of the Catholic diocese that life will be elevated and legislators will defeat these bills. We will not solve the longstanding issue of sexual predation on women in this state by encouraging women to view the use of deadly force as their only option. We do not support the dignity of women's lives by placing the onus for preventing sexual and domestic violence on the victims. We do not promote the sanctity of life by sending the message that violence is inevitable and an equally violent response is the only solution.
Jean Hill is government liaison for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.