Utah Legislature: Firearms bill gets toned down

SALT LAKE CITY — A committee agreed to dilute controversial gun legislation that could have been a green light for gun owners to openly carry firearms and threaten deadly force.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, submitted a revised version of HB78 that removed much of the original language, including references to openly carrying guns and threatening "deadly force."

"After meeting with law enforcement and others, we decided we wanted to divorce the open-carry issue from the defensive display provision," Sandstrom said.

Both versions of the bill would merely codify actions already allowed by Utah law, he said.

The new bill clarifies existing law by asserting that using a weapon in a "threatening manner" does not include displaying a firearm or telling someone you are carrying a gun, as long as it is done in self-defense.

The new proposal does not distinguish between concealed-weapon permit holders and all other gun owners.

Flashing or brandishing a gun in a fight still will be illegal, Sandstrom said.

The committee accepted the substitution but did not approve the bill.

— Josh Smith