House shoots down hotel gun bill

SALT LAKE CITY — The House shot down a bill Thursday that would have required hotels to let guests bring their guns into their rooms.

HB223, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, failed 22-48 after a lengthy debate over whether property rights trump gun rights.

Sandstrom said the choice was clear.

"This bill, if you really look at it, is not about guns. It is about protecting life," he said. "If you deny someone the right to defend their life, you are denying the first and most basic right."

But others, including a number of Sandstrom's fellow conservatives, said the bill takes away the rights of hotel owners to solve a problem that may not even exist.

The gun lobby hasn't given up on the bill. The Utah Shooting Sports Council sent an "Urgent Action Alert" email to its members asking them to call their representatives to recall the legislation.

"If you don't take action to defend gun rights, don't complain when we all lose them," the email said.

House Majority Whip Greg Hughes, R-Draper, was among those who opposed the bill.

"Business is smart. If they have customers who would like to keep their concealed weapons with them, or if they're hunting, the economy will respond to that," Hughes said. "I'm staying on the side of private property rights."

Several used stronger language.

Rep. Derek Brown, R-Cottonwood Heights, said the bill was about the government taking away property rights and urged representatives to listen to the concerns raised by hotel owners.

"It's inconsistent for us as a body to complain about the heavy hand of the federal government intruding in our lives and then turn around and do it," Brown said.

Rep. David Butterfield, R-Logan, said the bill would erode property rights. "My constituents don't need more government in their personal lives and their businesses, telling them how to run their businesses," Butterfield said.

Sandstrom argued current law already spells out the right to carry a weapon in a temporary residence, including a hotel room. He said the bill, backed by the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups, merely clarifies the law.

He had support from Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, who said there have been instances where hotel guests have been spotted with guns and told to leave them in their cars, only to have their weapons stolen.

"You can't own property unless you have liberty," Oda said, noting hotels would still be able to restrict guns in other areas outside of a guest's room.

A hotel owner in the House, Rep. Dixon Pitcher, R-Ogden, said every day, guests bring guns to their rooms. "It hasn't been and issue. It hasn't been a problem," Pitcher, urging the bill be allowed to die.

He said even though he permits firearms in his hotel, the state needs to be tolerant of other hotel owners who don't. "That's their right, " Pitcher said.

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