SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A group of Utah lawmakers said Wednesday they were working on legislation that would allow police to temporarily confiscate guns from people deemed to be a threat to the public and penalize parents if their child has easy access to their gun and uses it in a crime.
The gun control proposals came as somewhat of a surprise in the conservative state known for being gun-friendly.
The legislators also suggested mandating that Utah officials report gun background check information to a national database and increasing mental health services available at schools as ways to prevent campus violence.
The proposals would need approval by the Legislature at a special session or during next year’s regular session to become law.
They represent the strongest push on the issue in Utah since the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The recommendations were unveiled by a special commission that spent four months studying how to make Utah’s schools safer in the wake of the Florida attack.
The proposals triggered resistance from at least one gun rights group and drew cautious optimism from gun violence prevention groups.
The bill allowing police to take the guns of people believed to be a threat is “very dangerous. It’s not a workable solution,” said Sam Robinson, 44, co-owner of Utah Gun Exchange. “We need to protect our Constitution because our Constitution is designed to protect us.”
The bill is similar to so-called “red flag” efforts debated by other states. A previous version was rejected by Utah lawmakers last year.
Republican Rep. Steve Handy, who is working on a new version, said lawmakers didn’t have time to appropriately modify it during the brief 45-day legislative session.
High school student Daud Mumin, 17, who was involved with the March For Our Lives campaign, called Wednesday’s efforts a good but limited first step that “encourages us to have more of a dialogue.”
Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes and other lawmakers called for Republican Gov. Gary Herbert to convene a special session to consider some of the measures.
“There isn’t a silver bullet when we talk about how our schools and our students are safe,” Hughes said.
Without the session, lawmakers would need to wait until their next session in 2019 to take any action.
Herbert spokesman Paul Edwards said the governor was reviewing the recommendations and would consider calling a special session if the state House and Senate can reach consensus.
Last month, Herbert said he was open to the possibility of potential gun measures, including more rigorous background checks.
The Utah Safe Schools Commission, created in the wake of the Parkland shooting, issued a more sweeping list of recommendations that included a call for universal background checks and a waiting period for gun purchases.
But it conceded that many of the measures could face tough opposition. The commission is comprised of state officials, students and a gun rights advocate.
Universal background checks “may not be something that happens this year,” said Elizabeth Love, 18, a member of the commission. “It’s inevitable it will be passed eventually. It’s just a matter of sooner rather than later.”
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