Herald poll response -- Guns in cars

[FWiedner]

Herald poll response -- Guns in cars

The Daily Herald


Editor's Note: The Daily Herald recently asked its readers if people should be able to carry loaded guns in their cars. Here are the comments we received:

Want a gun in car? Get carry permit and take safety class

Why do we need another law about carrying guns in cars? We have a perfectly good one now. Apply for a concealed weapon permit. A background check is done on everyone, and you must pass a class on handgun safety.

Jim Henson,

Provo

Madsen's bill preserves liberty

Utahns should be able to carry loaded. The issue is one of liberty, not accessibility.

Gary B White,

Roosevelt

Guns in cars only pose danger in hands of stupid people

Firearms do not kill people, people and stupidity kill people. Guns do not just go off on their own. When you use the brain that God gave you, then guns are no more dangerous than any other object. Anything can be dangerous in the wrong hands, I remember when I was going through High School, Scotch Bright was quite the drug of choice for a lot of people. Does that mean that we should lock up all the Scotch Bright and tell people that they shouldn't carry it in their cars because it might inebriate the driver?

Trent Williams,

Logan

No evidence that loaded guns in cars poses safety threat

Perhaps you should ask the senator why he introduced this bill. Also, if, as you say, it is so quick and easy to load a cartridge, don't you think police officers should also be asked to comply as well? Florida has more than 40,000 people licensed to carry loaded, concealed, handguns. Why don't you ask Florida officials how many accidents this practice has caused? I think you will find that your premise, that loaded guns in cars lead to accidents, is faulty.

Alec Rorabaugh,

Ukiah, Calif.

Cops seem to have no trouble carrying loaded guns in cars

A loaded firearm properly stored in a motor vehicle is not per se unsafe or illogical. If it were, there would be a large number of unsafe police officers. Such a law makes sense when read in context of someone carrying a firearm under a concealed weapons permit. It is far safer for a person who is carrying a firearm to leave it holstered rather than repeatedly disarming, unloading and reloading each time you get in and out of the vehicle. Many states already allow concealed carry holders to keep their handguns loaded in vehicles for this reason and others.

Robert Granger,

Blue Hill, Maine

'Unloaded' guns may create more problems for owners

Keeping a "loaded" pistol with its slide locked back is not safe for the owner inasmuch as the open cavity will collect dirt, dust and debris causing a malfunction when needed. In addition, without the pressure of the closed slide, the top cartridge in the magazine will tend to come loose. Revolvers, present the problem of ascertaining which way the cylinder rotates so as to line up the empty chamber properly. Many states have allowed loaded guns to be kept in vehicles for decades, and I am not aware of any rash of "accidents" caused by such a policy.

Chuck Klein,

Cincinnati, Ohio

Having empty chamber in gun deadly in a real emergency

You have not studied what happens to an individual who desperately and immediately needs to use deadly force to counter a deadly attack. What you have not figured into the equation is the fear factor. When under extreme stress, an individual is more likely to simply go for the trigger which is not going to fire an unloaded gun. This will then add a second or so of the individual under stress trying to figure out, in his state of shock, why the gun didn't fire. He could be killed during this period of confusion.

James D. "Mitch" Vilos,

Centerville

Too early to speculate on bill

Remember, the language of the bill has not been released yet, so everyone is guessing what it would allow/require people to do. Note that at least 22 other states already allow essentially the same thing that is being proposed for Utah, so there is actual factual data, not hypothetical hysterical predictions to show that this is not a safety issue for kids or law enforcement officers during traffic stops. The only folks who should be scared are criminals.

John Spangler,

Salt Lake City

Madsen's plan for guns in cars flouts basic gun safety rules

Sen. Mark Madsen's proposed law to allow loaded guns in your automobile is suicide. Anyone and everyone who has ever hunted knows it is just plain common sense to eject the shell out of your gun's chamber before crossing fences, ditches, and especially storing them in your car. Madsen's bill will undo years of safety training. If a carjacker or a burglar sees you grab a gun, common sense will tell them to get out of there and not take a chance that the gun is unloaded. This would suffice unless your real motive is to shoot someone.

Brent McClellan,

Santaquin

Loaded guns not dangerous in hands of law-abiding people

It is true that with rights comes responsibility. Your opinion infers that law-abiding citizens who want to carry a loaded firearm in their vehicle are somehow automatically unsafe and irresponsible. A firearm is one of the best, if not the best, deterrent to violent crime. It has been proven that firearms are used about 2.5 million times per year to thwart violent crime. People can already use deadly force to prevent a carjacking. This bill will also provide the means to do so without having to petition the government for a concealed-carry permit.

Dan Herrin,

Provo

Loaded guns and cars bad mix

Sen. Madsen will rue the day his bill, "Loaded guns in cars OK" passes. That is like giving a child a fused stick of dynamite and a box of matches. If the driver were sober is frightening enough, but a DUI person already has lost part of their reasoning powers. Real or imagined offenses to the DUI would surely become ready targets.

Leo J Lee,

Springville

Utahns don't need this bill

The first time I heard it was on the news a couple weeks ago I thought it was ridiculous. Now that I read the article it is even more ridiculous;. Foolish thing to do. We're not L.A., we're Utah.

Clayton Vance,

Orem


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