UT concealed carry permit- legislation could make it more difficult for non-residents

[ice2meetyu]

Concealed carry
Instructors should be Utahns
Tribune Editorial

Posted: 02/10/2009 06:00:00 PM MST


To obtain a Utah permit to carry a concealed weapon, most applicants must attend a class on the safe handling and lawful use of firearms. The class must be taught in person by a certified instructor.

However, current law allows people in other states to obtain Utah permits and teach the classes. That has led to complaints that some of those instructors are not actually teaching the classes, but are simply charging a fee and signing off on applications.

To prevent that, Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, is sponsoring a bill in the Legislature that would require instructors to be Utah residents. That way the Bureau of Criminal Identification, which oversees the permitting process, could make sure that instructors are properly certified and are actually teaching the classes.

Because proper training is critical to the safe handling of firearms, this bill would improve safety not only for the permit holder but for the public at large. As any student can tell you, any class is only as good as the instructor.

It is impossible for the Utah BCI to keep track of instructors in other states and how or whether they actually teach their classes. With only two field agents, the bureau has plenty to oversee in Utah alone. As it stands today, the Utah concealed-carry program has about 1,000 instructors, and two-thirds of them are not Utahns.

We have argued in the past, and continue to believe, that the Utah program should be limited to residents of this state. We fail to see why Utah should shoulder the regulatory responsibility for concealed-carry permits that are used by people who live in other parts of the country. About half of Utah's 142,000 permits are held by people who live elsewhere. Utah's permits are popular because they are recognized by 35 other states and are inexpensive.

However, if the classes necessary to obtain a Utah permit were to become a sham, other states would perceive them to be a threat to their own public safety and likely would withdraw their recognition of Utah's permits. It is that fear that has caused some Utah gun-rights activists to support Oda's bill to tighten oversight of instructors.

While they are at it, Utah legislators should require that the classes include training on a firing range. Nothing in current law requires a student to demonstrate that basic safety proficiency, even though range time has been a requirement for a hunting license for generations.

Go figure.

The link can be found here: http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_11673710

[fingers80002]

Already been hashed out.

[evilfij]

What about those with existing permits?

My training was very good. He even went over the required discussion of Utah law even though none of the class members ever planned on going to the state.

[Pa. Patriot]

http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-car...ah+legislation