"The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals.... It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of."
-- Albert Gallatin of the New York Historical Society, October 7, 1789
Would you like to spend 15 minutes spearheading the defense of your Second-Amendment rights in Utah? If you happen to be a delegate to the Utah County Republican Convention this Saturday, we could use your help to hand out one-page flyers for just a few minutes at a particular time and location. If you’re a delegate and would like to know more details about this plan, please send an e-mail message to N. W. Clayton (GOUtah!’s director of Communications) at goutah@hughes.net prior to 7:00 p.m. Friday. Thanks.
Here’s a great news item about the "empty holster" protests going on at college and university campuses across the country this week, including a protest conducted by several dozen students at Virginia Tech. These protests are being sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus ( http://concealedcampus.org ), a national organization formed a few days after the Virginia Tech massacre last year. Students with concealed-firearm permits are visibly carrying empty holsters on campuses nationwide this week. ead more about it at: http://tinyurl.com/53ajk7.
We in Utah are fortunate to have a law that requires all state-owned elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities to allow the carrying of firearms on campus by concealed-weapon permit-holders (although we’d like to see the permit requirement be removed). Furthermore, there is no legal prohibition in our state against concealed carry by permit holders at private schools. Unfortunately, some private universities in Utah have policies against this practice. Nonetheless, Utah is, overall, in much better shape than other states with regard to the carrying of self-defense weapons on campus.
Progress has been made in other states over the past year, however. At least one state has passed a law allowing limited concealed carry on college campuses by military veterans and people who are enlisted in the National Guard. This law doesn’t go nearly far enough, obviously, but it’s a small step in the right direction. Other states are considering laws to allow permit holders to carry on campus in varying degrees. Most state legislatures, however, remain reluctant to take the big step that Utah took several years ago when our current statutes were passed. Utahns should be proud to be at the cutting edge of social evolution with respect to protecting the right to carry self-defense weapons at institutions of higher learning. The catch. of course, is that the aging ex-hippies running the University of Utah will continue to pressure the Legislature each and every year to ban self-defense weapons on campus. All that needs to happen is for a few key members of the leadership of the State Legislature to cave in to the U's silly demands one year. So we as gun owners need to engage in as much political activity as we can to kick anti-gun legislators out of office (or at least create political pain for them every time they stab us in the back) and help pro-gun legislators get re-elected (and, just as importantly, help get them appointed to leadership positions).
Regarding the Virginia Tech incident, Mark Steyn wrote the following analysis one year ago. It’s worth re-reading: http://tinyurl.com/4a65qt.
That concludes the GOUtah! Political and Legislative Alert #299 for 24 April, 2008. We hope this information will be of assistance to you in defending your firearms rights.
Remember that getting this information is meaningless unless You Act On It Today. If you just read it and dump it in the trash, your gun rights, and the gun rights of future generations go in the trash with it. Get involved, get active and get vocal!
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