"The right to buy weapons is the right to be free."
-- A.E. Van Vogt
If you haven’t already done so, please contact Gov. Gary Herbert and encourage him to sign SB 11, the Utah Firearms Freedom Act. We need to keep his phone ringing with support for this legislation.
We at GOUtah! speculated in our last Alert that Governor Herbert's apparent consideration of a veto for SB 11 (the Utah Firearms Freedom Act) may be due to a lack of enthusiasm for defending Utahns' right to keep and bear arms from federal infringement. Our speculation was based on our opinion that Governor Herbert's stated concerns about SB 11's potential costs for the state were ill founded.
Subsequently, Governor Herbert spoke directly with GOUtah! Policy Director Charles Hardy. Mr. Hardy says:
"Governor Herbert assures me that his concerns with SB 11 have nothing to do with a lack of commitment to the right to keep and bear arms. The Governor says that his concerns about the bill include federal constitutional questions, interstate commerce, and the fiscal impact that the bill might have on the state budget."
GOUtah! appreciates the Governor's willingness to speak with us about SB 11, and we're happy to hear him say that he's committed to protecting Utahns' right to keep and bear arms from federal infringement. We hope he’ll follow through with appropriate action that’s consistent with this commitment.
Please contact Governor Herbert and let him know your priorities regarding this legislation.
Phone for Governor’s Office: (801)538-1000
Toll-free Phone: (800)705-2464
Fax: (801)538-1528
Webmail for Governor Herbert:
http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_comment.html
Mailing Address:
Gov. Gary Herbert
PO Box 142220
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220
" States rights has been a source of argument for more than two centuries and it deserves legitimate debate. Every year our Legislature seems intent on taking one or more positions that are so lacking in merit that they can serve no purpose other than to challenge federal authority. In attempting to exempt all firearms made and sold in Utah from all federal regulation,
Senate Bill 11 may be this year's line in the sand ('States rights weapons bill going great guns,' Tribune , Feb. 9).
How the Legislature can suggest that firearms made and sold in Utah will not
be involved in interstate commerce and therefore are beyond the reach of federal law is not only comical, it is dangerous. Just what beneficial states rights issue is addressed at the cost of exempting Utah gun buyers from federal background checks?
Our state faces myriad issues that deserve the Legislature's attention and
our increasingly scarce financial resources. The Legislature is debating double-digit higher education budget cuts and ideas as drastic as eliminating the 12th grade. We have better uses for our limited resources than setting up an expensive and unnecessary constitutional challenge. The Legislature should drop SB11 now."
-- Joshua S. Kanter, in a letter printed in The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 February 2010.
Date:
From:
To: Governor Gary Herbert
Subject: Please Sign SB 11
Dear Governor Herbert:
I encourage you to sign SB 11, the bill that asserts Utah’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment by exempting from federal regulation those firearms that are manufactured, sold, and kept in the State of Utah.
SB 11 is constitutional and will probably cost the state nothing, so there’s no reason not to sign it. Article I Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution lists the specific things that states are prohibited from doing. SB 11 clearly doesn’t do anything prohibited by this section.
If you decide to veto SB 11, please write back to me and explain your reasoning. Thanks for taking time to consider my views on this matter.
Sincerely,
That concludes the GOUtah! Political and Legislative Alert #329 for 18 February, 2010. 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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