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It's unlikely that there will be any major changes to security at the Utah Capitol, but lawmakers say the shooting rampage targeting an Arizona congresswoman has pushed the issue to the front burner.

"Clearly, that is an issue that, as elected officials, sometimes we think about but that will never happen to us," said House Speaker Becky Lockhart. "The incident in Arizona really brings it back to the forefront in terms of how we deal with security of elected officials."

Legislative leaders are planning to meet next week with public safety officials in charge of security at the Capitol in an attempt to find a balance between the security of members and the public's ability to interact with their elected representatives.

"We'll sit down and talk with legislative leadership to see if there are any compelling reasons to change what we've done in the past," said Capt. Barton Blair, the Department of Public Safety officer in charge of security at the state Capitol. "There's not going to be a drastic change."

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said he and his colleagues have discussed whether there is an issue with safety.

"The concern is we like the openness that the citizens can come and watch their government at work. On the other hand, times are changing and, as you can see in Arizona there are some needs, but that didn't happen at the Capitol," Waddoups said. "I think our intention, our concern at this point, mostly is we want to be wise, we want to consult our professionals in the field."

Waddoups said that, in the past, lawmakers have been protected by the Utah Highway Patrol officers at the Capitol and, he noted, a number of members hold concealed weapons permits and carry their own firearms.

Blair said that, as they have in the past, there might be additional security when the Legislature has hearings on contentious issues like immigration, but people will still "have an opportunity to express their opinions," and the public likely won't notice the changes.

"I can tell you for sure that the Legislature is not going to want magnetometers set up or anything like that," Blair said.