East Excessive College college students protest gun violence throughout a walkout on the college in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday, Could 27, 2022. Many are calling for extra gun security legal guidelines like increased age necessities, crimson flag legal guidelines and background checks. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
This week we're witnessing the mourning of the households, classmates and associates of the 21 gun violence victims in Uvalde, Texas. We proceed to reel from the bloodbath of 10 in Buffalo, New York. And now, one other gunman took 5 lives at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Our nation is grieving. And our grief wants to maneuver us to motion. We don't need to dwell in a society the place we should “harden” all public areas — that's not freedom.
We are able to do way more right here in Utah to maintain our kids secure. Sadly, Utah Republican elected officers are transferring us within the unsuitable course relating to gun security. It’s time they cease hiding behind an absolutist interpretation of the Second Modification as a protect for his or her lack of accountability.
What number of lives will proceed to be misplaced by claiming the Second Modification is an absolute proper?
It isn't an absolute proper, as evidenced by the 2008 Supreme Courtroom resolution in District of Columbia vs. Heller, authored by conservative Supreme Courtroom Justice Antonin Scalia. Whereas the Heller resolution declares people have the suitable to personal weapons, it additionally states that the suitable to bear arms can be regulated. Justice Scalia wrote, “Like most rights, the Second Modification proper shouldn't be limitless.”
But too many Utah Republicans ignore this steering on the subject of the Second Modification.
Simply final session, on a party-line vote, Republicans within the state Legislature stripped away a essential security measure that I had put in place to require background checks for all weapons offered at gun reveals held in Salt Lake County amenities. Earlier than my administrative change, background checks have been solely required for purchases made by means of a licensed seller, leaving non-public transactions on the gun reveals exempt from background checks.
I had compelled new gun present contracts to incorporate background checks for all, basically closing the “gun present loophole.” It was a workable administrative change, and 13 gun reveals have been hosted efficiently with the coverage in place. Authorized gun house owners have been capable of buy weapons, and the background examine course of was in place to cease any violent offenders.
Commonly, home abusers and different folks prohibited from proudly owning weapons attempt to purchase weapons in Utah — and background checks cease them. Annually, the background examine system prevents greater than 150 gross sales to convicted felons and over 160 gross sales to home abusers in Utah. My coverage ensured these similar folks couldn’t merely bypass the background examine system by shopping for weapons at gun reveals from non-public sellers.
Nonetheless, Republicans handed SB115, which took away the authority of any native authorities in Utah to go affordable gun security legal guidelines, focused at my coverage on background checks. Invoice sponsor Rep. Cory Maloy, R-Lehi, Republican management and Republican members of the Legislature voted to permit weapons to be offered to criminals when affordable measures had been put in place to cease these gross sales.
The motion I took to maintain Salt Lake County residents secure alarmed Second Modification absolutists to the purpose that they doubled down on their authority to “preempt” native elected officers from performing to learn their communities. Shockingly, Republicans on the Salt Lake County Council voted to assist this invoice, in essence additional empowering the Legislature to restrict native authority.
I implore my elected Republican colleagues in Utah to alter their positions and transfer towards enacting gun security measures and permitting native leaders to do the identical. We'd like common background checks, ready durations, to lift the authorized age to buy a gun to 21, excessive danger safety orders (often known as crimson flag legal guidelines) and a ban on large-capacity magazines. Nobody resolution will remedy this disaster, similar to no single particular person can, however these options have broad public assist.
We'd like braveness from political leaders on this state to place our kids and neighborhood security above get together and to cease hiding behind an absolutist view of the Second Modification.
Jenny Wilson is mayor of Salt Lake County.