Gun editorial ignores law

Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2004 6:38 p.m. MST
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In your editorial "Walker should veto SB48 . . . " you give several justifications for why the Board of Regents should be in charge of deciding whether or not guns are allowed on campus. During all of this, you fail to meet two important points: Utah law and constitutional protections.

The Utah law on concealed-carry specifically prohibits government-owned operations from disallowing concealed carry on their premises unless those operations have clear security measures and reasons against allowing CCW. Courts, jails and other obvious, highly secure areas are these exceptions.

By their refusal to abide by this, the University of Utah is breaking Utah law and therefore should suffer the consequences of doing so. Gun owners and Libertarians take this right very seriously, as seriously as your newspaper takes your right to free speech.

If college campuses are to be "free of intimidation," should we also not allow "controversial" speech (which is intimidating), persons larger than a specified size (big people are intimidating), famous people (celebrities are intimidating), etc., on campus as well?

Your editorial patently ignores the fact that these are concealed weapons and therefore will not be seen and cannot, therefore, be intimidating. Further, you ignore the rights of the people as outlined in the state and federal constitutions. Finally, you also ignore the law.

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Fran Tully

Libertarian Party of Utah chairman

Sandy

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