This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's three U.S. representatives not only voted for the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, all three signed on as cosponsors! With 245 cosponsors in the House, proving the power of the National Rifle Association, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, this bill would require every of the 49 states that issue a concealed weapon permit to honor permits issued by any other state, regardless of the training requirements. Currently, Nevada and New Mexico don't accept Utah's permit.
Aren't these the same Utah members of Congress who have carried the banner for states' rights and a smaller role for the federal government? What are they thinking?
Utah has one of the least stringent requirements for obtaining a permit — it doesn't even require the applicant to practice firing a weapon. That makes you wonder just how useful the permit and weapon really would be in self-defense.
However, Utah benefits financially because, of the more than 388,000 people who hold a Utah permit, 57 percent of them are out of state — another statistic pointing out how easy it is to get a permit in Utah.
Kermit Heid
Salt Lake City