HB195

I hop eyou don't mind, I did some editing for clarity in your version:

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I have serious concerns for HB195 titled "CONCEALED FIREARM PERMIT AMENDMENTS", and I would encourage you to vote NO on this amendment.

I do not feel that this amendment would be beneficial to the citizens of Utah and feel that it would grant rights not authorized to resident aliens or illegal aliens. Rights are the benefits of citizenship and should not be extended to those who are not citizens. To do so would be a slap in our faces and would create more problems and issues than this amendment would solve. I feel it is poorly worded and not well thought out and again encourage you to vote NO.

Thanks you for your time in this very important matter.

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I just sent this off to my state representatives.

swillden said:

If the BCI can perform a background check by querying their country of origin, fine. If that sort of query costs more, then the applicant should bear that additional cost. If the BCI is unable to perform the background check, then the applicant should be denied.

Click to expand...

I agree with this statement. However, In having experience with obtaining police records in foreign countries I can tell you that it is a simple matter to make the request, pay a fee, and have the records mail/transmitted to a receiving agency. The last time I did this the fee in the other country was $150. Perhaps have the applicant pay for their own records, or identify the countries you will accept records from and negotiate a cost for those countries. At that point, set the fee.

Let's also consider that BCI is required to issue a permit within a certain timeframe, and reserves the right to revoke if something turns up. There is no provision, that I see, that says they must receive a response from the other country before they will issue the permit. This leaves open the possibility of someone obtaining a permit, purchasing firearms for which they are now not required to have a background check, and later (perhaps months) have their permit revoked. I don't know if I like that idea.

I must say, as well, that we may be focusing on a particular set of non-resident aliens with which we are most familiar. However, consider a university student who has come to the UofU to attend medical school from another country. This person is a non-resident alien and should be allowed the right of self protection if they can meet the requirements.

Having said that, however, I also know how easy it is to get a "clear" police record from many countries.

Let me also add a general impression of what I see in this bill:
They are removing the plurality from the law (types to type, firearms to firearm), and could be setting this up for licensure using specific weapons like Clark County, I believe.