A student recently brought a gun to my son’s middle school in Draper. Fortunately, a student used the SafeUT app to report the issue, and no harm came to students or teachers. Although everything was ultimately fine in our home town, it makes the events in Uvalde, Texas, even more heartbreaking.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by inaction, here’s an easy way you can help for schools all over the country — schools like ours.
Background checks have bounced around Congress for years. The House passed a bipartisan measure in 2013. In 2019 Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) stated background checks and red flag laws would be front and center. However, these measures repeatedly stall in the quagmire of hyper-partisan politics.
Right now, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) is working to create gun safety legislation focusing on background checks, and refining red flag laws. With the current makeup of the Senate, Sen. Murphy would need ten Republican senators as allies.
Please consider contacting Sen. Mitt Romney, and requesting, as his constituent, that he joins in the efforts of Sen. Murphy.
Elected officials respond to rational, data driven requests. Here are some talking points you may want to include. The Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah reports that 83% of Utahns support Universal Background Checks. This includes Rs, Ds, independents and gun owners. Red flag laws have been shown to save lives as the data demonstrates that for every 10-20 judicial orders issued, a life is saved.
Reach Sen. Romney via phone at 801-524-4380 or 202-224-5251, or via the web at romney.senate.gov/contact-senator-romney
Camie Hodlmair, Draper
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