Utah Republican Wants To Expand Right To Carry Guns On Buses And Trains
[su_right_ad]You can carry guns on buses and trains with a permit or with permission of the vehicle’s owner, but that isn’t good enough for Provo State Rep. Norman Thurston.
While the law makes exceptions for those with permits or permission from the transit owner, Thurston said it allows someone to very easily commit a crime without realizing it.
“You were perfectly fine walking down the street and then you get on a bus and now you’re a felon.” Thurston said. “You’re not doing anything different.”
Utah Transit Authority spokesman Remi Barron said the agency has not had any problems with riders carrying concealed weapons on trains or buses and didn’t believe anyone had been cited for it.
[su_thin_right_skyscraper_ad]Thurston said someone in his district pointed him toward the issue while exploring whether to use public transit to commute to work. He’s has started a bill to tackle the issue during the upcoming legislative session, but it’s not public yet and Thurston said he’s still figuring out exactly how to change the law.
Another Republican with a solution in search of a problem.
“If it’s legal to be on the street, it should be legal to be on a bus,” he said. “If it’s illegal to be on the street, it should be the same type of illegal to be on the bus.”
Miriam Walkingshaw of Utah Parents Against Gun Violence, said that while someone may cite protection as a reason to carry a weapon, she’s concerned about public safety risks if they carry it on a bus or train where many people might be moving in and out.
“If their weapon isn’t secured safely,” she said, “It’s just one of those incidents where I think the risk of something going wrong or someone deliberately using it in a bad way is higher than any change of it preventing any sort of crime.”
Thurston said he doesn’t know if transit officials are regularly citing people under the law, but if they’re not, that’s another reason to take it off the books, he said.
Okay, how about finding out first. But then you might find out expanding the carrying of guns accomplishes nothing.
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tracey marie January 14th, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Leave the damn penis in a holster at home if you wish to be on a bus or train…stop making the entire country pay tribute to your metal winky because your real one is tiny
Hirightnow January 14th, 2015 at 7:07 pm
WHAP!
Finally got ya back! (runs away)
tracey marie January 14th, 2015 at 7:11 pm
that is hilarious.
Oh yeah! January 15th, 2015 at 1:59 pm
Carrying a firearm on public transit in Utah has been legal for quite a long time. Zero problems. This article is inaccurate.
tracey marie January 15th, 2015 at 2:39 pm
You meant to say the rwnj who is pushing this meme and for new laws is inaccurate, right?
Oh yeah! January 16th, 2015 at 8:59 am
No, the article is inaccurate. There is a legitimate reason behind the law and it isn’t to just have weapons everywhere.
whatthe46 January 14th, 2015 at 5:28 pm
these people have lost their ever loving minds! guns guns guns guns = MORE DEATHS!
edmeyer_able January 14th, 2015 at 9:30 pm
Hey, they’re worried about that sector of mass killers who have a DWI and can’t legally drive to the scene of the shooting. As well as those who are environmentally conscience and worried about CO2 emissions….WTF…..FTW
Oh yeah! January 15th, 2015 at 2:01 pm
Carrying a firearm on public transit in Utah is already legal. Do some research.
tracey marie January 15th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
then why is the rwnj pushing this meme or lie?
Oh yeah! January 16th, 2015 at 8:58 am
They aren’t. It’s a law to clarify to carry an object that may be construed as a weapon. Say you bring a cake and a knife to cut it on the bus. That’s a felony. That’s what the legislator is trying to change.