I oppose any attempt at taking guns away from responsible gun owners. The irresponsible ones should be fair game. The woman who forgot her gun in the restroom is an irresponsible gun owner.
She should forfeit her firearm and have her concealed carry permit canceled and Second Amendment rights suspended until completing a thorough firearms training course. Had she made this major safety violation at a sanctioned shooting competition, she would have been disqualified and ejected from the range.
The Utah Legislature should apply a standard of strict liability to firearms ownership. Strict liability means a person is responsible for their actions regardless of their intent. A person should be strictly liable, criminally and civilly, if they lose control of an unsecured firearm or inappropriately discharge their gun. Other than mechanical failure caused by manufacturing defects, there are no gun “accidents.”
Strict liability applies to inherently dangerous activities, and firearms ownership certainly qualifies. In many jurisdictions, dog ownership comes with greater liability than gun ownership. That is just not silly, it is wrong. The best way to support responsible gun owners is not tolerating the irresponsible ones.
Dennis Willis, Price
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