This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There are three reasons a citizen, out of uniform, carries a firearm in public places: (1) to show power or status; (2) a good guy who carries because she or he is afraid of another guy with a gun; and (3) the bad guy who strikes fear in the good guy.
It doesn't boost our sense of security and well-being when the legislated solution for gun crime is to put more guns on the street or in schools.
Making Utah a "constitutional carry" state will only make it easier for bad guys to do bad things. If a firearm is to leave your home or car, it should be "well regulated," as the Constitution asserts.
Guns are for hunting, target shooting, home or personal protection, not for show and tell or to facilitate crime. It would be better public policy to legislate sensible controls for those who wish, or need, to carry a firearm into public places.
Our macho legislators are not making us safer by providing guns for all, but it's what we seem to choose with our votes. Why not a "Zion's Curtain" to protect citizens from exposure to gun violence?
Mickey Oksner
Midway