Alphecca

Driving While Loaded

While Illinois is busy making it difficult to drive with a firearm, Utah wants to make it easier. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

A proposal that would allow Utahns to carry loaded guns in their vehicles received a boost Wednesday from a legislative committee.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, said Utah's current statute is overly cumbersome for the average sportsman or gun owner to follow. "It puts law-abiding citizens at a disadvantage if they are approached by a criminal," he said.

Madsen first proposed the idea in the previous legislative session, but decided he needed more time to finalize his plan.

The bill, endorsed on a 12-2 vote, would allow any person who can lawfully own a weapon to be able to conceal it loaded in a vehicle.

The current law allows for a firearm in a vehicle, but only if it is unloaded and either out in the open or securely contained in a place other than a center console or a glove box. Concealed-weapons permit holders are exempt from the restrictions.

Charles Hardy of Gun Owners of Utah and Madsen described the legislation as "not a major change," meant mostly to simplify the law and help people from "avoiding a technical misstep."

Holladay Democratic Rep. Pat Jones disagreed with that characterization. "I think that it is very major," she said. "Does this put law enforcement in jeopardy or children in jeopardy or other people in the car in jeopardy?"

Madsen said Utah is one of 24 states that does not allow people to drive with a loaded gun and is the only state in the Intermountain West with such a ban. He said studies in states that allow people to drive with a loaded weapon have shown no discernible increase in crime, road-rage incidents or accidents with firearms.

Incidentally, in Vermont -- where there are NO restrictions, the violent crime rate was less than half that of Utah.

Anyway, I see no reason not to allow carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. Most states allow it and rage incidents are quite rare. Further, you can't defend yourself with an unloaded gun except by grabbing the barrel and smacking the thug in the head. Thumbs up to Utah.