Pro-Gun Bill Fixes Utah Gun-Free School Zones
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 9:11 AMPro-Gun Bill Fixes Utah Gun-Free School Zones
Now is time for YOU, as part of “the powerful gun lobby” to get busy!
Utah Shooting Sports Council
Utah --(Ammoland.com)- H.B. 75 (1st Substitute) will be coming to the House floor for a vote very soon, probably Friday.
This bill eliminates some of the more onerous definitions of “on or about school premises.”
And it protects law-abiding gun-owners who might otherwise be inadvertently ensnared by Utah’s overly expansive “Gun Free School Zone” definition which is much broader than in federal law or nearby states. We expect it to be a close vote and your Representative needs to hear from you ASAP.
Politicians respond to polite contacts from voters, and YOUR emails and phone calls really do make a difference.
If YOU don’t take action to defend gun rights, don’t complain when we all lose them.
We need to get this pro-gun bill passed by the House, and then passed by the Senate.
Here are some important points about this bill :
HB 75 won’t affect colleges or universities. It doesn’t allow “guns in schools.” It’s a common sense step that brings our definition in line with surrounding states and protects honest gun-owners.
Utah’s current definition of “on or about school premises” is far too broad. Under the current definition, you may have unintentionally violated Utah’s gun-free school-zone act many times. The federal law is limited to K-12 schools, but Utah law adds day-care centers, pre-schools and vocational schools. Utah law includes a 1,000-foot “gun free zone” around each of these “schools.” Thus, for example, under state law you’re on “school premises” if you get within 1,000 feet of a day-care center that’s operating inside a private residence, or if you get within 1,000 feet of a small cosmetology school located in a strip mall.
This bill will cease turning well-meaning gun-owners into inadvertent criminals. It brings the definition in line with what everyone considers to be schools: K-12 and colleges or universities.
This bill can be called up for a vote by the full House any time, probably Friday.
Full text and status of the bill at: http://le.utah.gov/~2011/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0075S01.htm
ACTION REQUIRED
ASK ALL HOUSE MEMBERS TO VOTE FOR HB75 Dangerous Weapon Amendments. Please email, fax or call as soon as possible as they could vote on this very soon. Use the following message. (Contact info follows the sample email) House FAX number for all members is (801) 326-1544
SAMPLE EMAIL, FAX OR PHONE MESSAGE
Subject: VOTE FOR HB 75 Dangerous Weapon AmendmentsDear Representative ___________
I am asking you to VOTE FOR HB 75 (1st Substitute) “Dangerous Weapon Amendments,” sponsored by Representative Curt Oda.This bill continues to ensure the safety of K-12 schools and colleges or universities.
Utah’s current definition of “on or about school premises” is far too broad and should be brought into line with surrounding states and common sense.
Currently it is impossible for gun owners to identify all the “school zones” where guns are prohibited around day cares, pre-schools, vocational schools and the like. Even worse, school field trips create an invisible almost half-mile wide “roving gun-free school-zone.”
This bill is needed to protect well-meaning gun-owners from being turned into inadvertent criminals by simply passing through invisible restricted areas.
Please VOTE FOR HB 75.
Sincerely.
[insert your name, and when contacting your own Representative, your address so they know you are in their district]
END OF SAMPLE EMAIL OR FAX
Contact YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and as many others as you can right away.
Use this easy tool to identify your Utah Representative District and find your representative’s email address and phone number-
http://www.le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp
Just enter your address, and then click on the name of the REPRESENTATIVE and then click on their email address to open a form where you can cut and paste the message above.
If you know your district or your Representative’s name you can go to the House roster and click there for the email addresses for all Utah Representatives: http://www.utah.gov/house/representatives.html
Thanks for your time!
About:
The Utah Shooting Sports Council represents the citizens of Utah who safely and legally own and use firearms, exercising rights guaranteed under both the United States and Utah constitutions. Visit: www.utahshootingsports.com
