The National Archives reported Thursday (Feb. 11) that in Utah, known as the Beehive State, carry-on concealed carry will soon not require a permit. Under the system, any law-abiding citizen over the age of 21 who is legally allowed to own a firearm can carry it under his or her clothing in Utah. Thanks to the addition of Utah, the number of U.S. states with similar legislation now stands at 17.
The bill to carry concealed firearms without an application passed the Utah House and Senate with a high vote of 22-6 in the Senate and 51 votes for and 20 votes against in the House. Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, will sign the law this week. The new law will take effect on May 5, 2021.
But convicted felons, people who have been legally adjudicated mentally ill, and people who have been banned from owning guns are not covered by the law.
In addition to Utah, 16 U.S. states have passed similar legislation. Vermont, represented by democratic socialist and anti-gun advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has enforced the ability to carry concealed firearms without application since the state’s inception.
In 1986, 16 U.S. states banned concealed carry altogether, and 25 states had laws that required a state permit to carry concealed, which could be granted or denied. The requirement to repeal concealed carry permits has grown rapidly over the past decade, and now all states do not ban concealed carry, it is simply a matter of whether or not a permit is required. There are currently only eight states where a legal gun owner’s application to carry a concealed firearm will be denied by officials.
Clark Aposhian, president of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, said the new law should be seen as a victory for law-abiding gun owners. He noted that under the past application process, it took “up to 90 days” to get a concealed-carry permit.
Gun control advocacy groups opposed to the legislation have continually argued that relaxing gun carry laws will lead to shootings and gun-related crimes. But state Sen. David Hinkins of Utah, who supports the bill, disagrees, arguing that statistics show no correlation between the expansion of concealed carry laws and a surge in gun crime.
During the debate on the legislation, Hinkins said that “concealed carry doesn’t have to be approved in three of the safest states in America, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine,” and that “it’s not a matter of the left or the right, it’s good policy backed by good data. “
Hinkins was supported by Robert Leider, a professor of gun law at George Mason University, who said, “Gun rights groups have had great success in legalizing the carrying of firearms for self-defense… . even many liberal states that are willing to issue permits to carry guns.”
Utah will still offer concealed carry permits to residents of the state, as other states with reciprocity laws require non-residents within their borders to use concealed gun carry permits.
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