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Committee reports
Meet Steve Stromness
CALL YOUR SENATOR!
Report on Senate Judiciary Committee, 2-18
The Senate Judiciary Committee PASSED Sen. President Lane Beattie's
SB 162S1 and SB 162S1 favorably yesterday.
SB 161S1 (Hall passes for gun owners)
requires that concealed carry permittees report to the prinicpal's office
to notify them that they are "a threat to civilized society and our children."
It also allows school officials to harass or fire school employees who
choose to carry firearms. SB 162S1 (Permission
slips to worship) requires concealed carry permittees to notify church
authorities that they are "a threat to the congregation" and ask permission
to attend church. Child molesters, rapists and violent felons are
exempted from the notification requirement.
Sen. Valentine did amend the bills to make a violation an infraction instead of a misdemeanor.
Everyone who attended the meeting commented on how completely unfair the committee hearings were. Utah's exemplar of Soviet-style democracy, Committee Chair Sen. Terry Spencer, insisted that both bills be discussed "as one". He restricted remarks to "notification", banning all speech relating to the Second Amendment, other states, other countries, crime data, or anything that he didn't want to hear. He claims that neither bill has anything to do with the Constitution or the Second Amendment - although both infringe on the right to carry without government harassment. Anyone who violated his abusive rules was gaveled into silence. Despite Spencer's best efforts, not a single person spoke in favor of the bills.
Sen. Spencer clearly does not respect either the First or the Second Amendment. And he obviously wants to discourage and stifle public input in the legislative process.
Testifying against these bills were:
Brent Odenwalder
Scott Steffensen
Scott Engen, GOUtah!
Elwood Powell, USSC
Ruth Andrus
Bill Nash, Utahns Against Gun Violence (who thinks the bill doesn't
go far enough!)
(And another person who's name wasn't relayed to me.)
THANK YOU! And thanks to all of you who attended and weren't
allowed to speak too!
Senators Hellewell, Hillyard, Valentine and Spencer voted FOR this attack on our rights although they also said they'd vote against it on the floor. They say they think it needs "more public discussion". (Has any issue in recent memory been MORE discussed?)
Translation: We want to tell anti-gun folks we voted FOR the bills and tell pro-gun folks we voted AGAINST the bill. We want to give the gun-grabbers and the media more opportunities to attack law abiding gun owners. We want Gov. Leavitt and Sen. President Lane Beattie to "like us". We think issues of rights should be decided by "public opinion polls". We don't want to be held accountable for what we do. And "If we don't vote against your rights, Democrats might get elected!" (shudder)
The question is quite simple: Do Utahns have the right to defend
their lives?
UTGuns wants to know if these gentlemen would also vote FOR a bill
to legalize late-term abortions on demand "because it needs more public
discussion"? (We think they wouldn't! They'd oppose the murder
of the defenseless.) The issue in both cases is the right to life.
Why do they want to encourage the murder of defenseless adults?
And why should we care if Democrats get elected? The Dems voted AGAINST this bill. What's the difference between a Republican who steals your rights and a Democrat who steals your rights? Nothing - except the Democrats don't lie about it.
Let them know what you think!
Chair - Sen. Terry Spencer 801-543-4450 tspencer@le.state.ut.us
Sen. Parley Hellewell (R-Utah) (801)226-3034 parley@itsnet.com
Sen. Lyle Hillyard (R-Cache, Rich, Summit) (435)753-0043 lhillyar@le.state.ut.us
Sen. John Valentine (R-Utah) (801)224-1693 jvalenti@le.state.ut.us
Report on the Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee 2-18
Things were not much better over at the Senate Transportation and Public
Safety committee, where SB 32S1 (Marksmanship
tests for concealed carry) was held.
Sponsor Sen. Ron Allen substituted his bill to make it worse, and then
amended it to make the marksmanship test a little easier. The bill
would require an ANNUAL marksmanship test with EACH gun that you carry.
(How this would be accomplished when renewals are every 5 years was not
mentioned. And of course you'd have to give BCI a list of each gun
that you carry and let them know if you get a new one! No one seems
to know who would administer these tests or where they might be conducted.
Perhaps that's the idea. If it's impossible to get or renew a permit,
maybe gun owners will just go away.)
Interestingly no one has even tried to estimate what this will cost permittees - or what it will cost BCI to keep such extensive records. My own estimate is that it would cost permittees $50 to $100 a year for EACH gun to keep a permit, if you include paying for range time, ammunition, instructors to sign certification permits, travel expenses, and the inevitable increase in fees to BCI to hire new employees and track records. The current fee is $10 every five years.
Sen. Julander offered the opinion that since she had to spend four years in school and pass a licensing exam to get her nurse's license, concealed carry permittees should have to do the same. Sen. Julander - which article of either the Utah or the US Constitutions guarantees that your right to be a nurse shall not be infringed? Is there a "right" to be a nurse?
Sen. Hale was reduced to tears at the idea that an unlicensed person might dare to try to save the lives of children. Would it be better to just let them be murdered like the kids at Columbine?
Interestingly, Sen. Allen prefaced his remarks by saying, on the record, that he had spoken to Brian Judy, NRA-ILA representative for Utah, and that the NRA has no objection to this bill! I spoke with Brian earlier today. He says the NRA does NOT support this bill, and will not support any requirement for live fire tests for concealed carry permits. In fact, he's never spoken to Sen. Ron Allen at all - about this bill or anything else!
Testifying in opposition to this bill were:
Leonard Wojcik, USSC
Winton Clark Aposhian, GOUtah! and US-DIN!
Billie Telford
Randy Browning
Sarah Thompson, UTGuns
(and probably a few I forgot!)
THANKS!
And thanks also to Sen. Mike Waddoups for allowing members of the public to comment without undue harassment!
The bill was "held" in committee and will be voted on "sometime". It's currently scheduled for 4 PM Monday, Rm. 403.
PLEASE contact members of the committee and ask them to OPPOSE SB 32. NO amendments, no compromises!
Sen. Michael Waddoups, Chair 801-967-0225, mwaddoup@le.state.ut.us
President Lane Beattie 801-292-7406, lbeattie@le.state.ut.us
Sen. R. Mont Evans 801-254-2655, mevans@le.state.ut.us
Sen. Karen Hale 801-485-6642, khale@le.state.ut.us
Sen. Paula F. Julander 801-363-0868 prjuland@msn.com
Sen. Peter C. Knudson 435-723-2035 pknudson@le.state.ut.us
Sen. Eddie "Ed" P. Mayne 801-968-7756 emayne@le.state.ut.us
Sen. David H. Steele 801-825-3033 dsteele@le.state.ut.us
More bill hearings!
HB 245, Gun Hysteria in Public Schools
(Wright) will also be heard by the Senate Transportation Committe, Monday,
4 PM, Room 403. (See list of Senators above.) Please ask committee
members to OPPOSE this bill!
SB 37, Child Interrogation School Surveys
(Montgomery) will be heard in the House Health and Human Services committee
Monday, 4 PM, Room 225. (See previous alerts for details.)
REMINDER!
Meet Steve Stromness (Republican Candidate for Governor) THIS EVENING!
Learn how you can become a delegate to the Republican Convention!
Meeting at the home of Sarah and Will Thompson
Please call for directions. 801-566-1067
PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATOR!
All of these bad gun bills are on their way to the Senate, and many
more will be introduced as the session enters its final 9 days. It
is absolutely essential that you call YOUR senator and Senate President
Lane Beattie, and let them know that you expect them to OPPOSE ALL GUN
CONTROL BILLS! See http://www.senate.le.state.ut.us/roster99.htm
for contact info.
Sen. Lane Beattie
319 State Capitol
SLC, UT 84114-0111
801-292-7406 home
801-538-1400 Capitol
801-538-1414 fax
All Senators can be reached at:801-538-1035
Republican fax 801-538-1414
Democrat fax 801-538-1449
IF YOU DON'T ACT, YOU WON'T HAVE ANY RIGHTS!!!
Thanks!
Sarah
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