Utah gets D- gun grade

Utah received a poor grade this week from a national gun anti-violence group for its lax laws on guns and children, and a state senator says it's just one more reason her bill aimed at forcing gun owners to lock up their weapons should pass in the 2003 Legislature.

Sen. Paula Julander, D-Salt Lake, has re-introduced a bill for the upcoming session that would provide a criminal penalty for a gun owner who "negligently" stores his weapon in a way that allows a minor to get possession and harm himself or others.

"I just want to make children safe" from guns, says Julander, a former nurse.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave Utah a D- grade on its gun law as it applies to children. The group, named after former President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, who was shot and disabled during an assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981, marked Utah down for not requiring child-safety trigger locks to be sold with guns and for not holding adults criminally responsible for leaving loaded firearms unsecured.

The group also said Utah has no safety standards for handguns, does not require background checks for all gun sales at gun shows and has a liberal law on issuing concealed-weapons permits.

Elwood Powell, president of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, one of the largest gun-rights groups in the state, said Julander's bill "would make bad law — it's ludicrous" and not needed. Powell said no gun safety lock fits all needs.

"Basically, (the bill) would deny a person his right of self defense," said Powell, an attorney.

Mel Brown, a former Utah House speaker who is the council's new lobbyist, said if guns must by law be locked up in a person's home, why not provide criminal penalties for not locking up other items that could harm children, like poisons, prescription medicines, cleaners and so on.

"Why single guns out, especially when the percent of gun ownership is on the rise and the number of accidents with guns is going way down?" said Brown. "The accident rate with guns is going down, we believe, because people are becoming more aware of their responsibility" and educated about gun safety.

The Brady group cited year 2000 statistics that show 16 Utah children were killed that year in gun accidents. But Julander said she believes many more children were severely injured in gun-related accidents in recent years.