As Part of a Gun Safety Package Senator Blouin’s Legislation Also Calls for the Creation of a Waiting Period Between the Time of Purchasing a Firearm and Obtaining It
SALT LAKE CITY — Today, the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement following a press conference at the State Capitol. Earlier this afternoon, gun safety advocates joined Senator Nate Blouin to pass a gun safety package that includes a ban on assault weapons in Utah.
“It’s time to restore safety to the places we cherish and look towards a future free of gun violence,” said Cindy Isakson, a volunteer with the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Every day, parents across our state and the country are obligated to have a conversation with their children about the nearest exit at school, the supermarket or the neighborhood restaurant in case a mass shooter enters the door. Research shows a mass shooter’s weapon of choice is an assault weapon – it’s time to ban them before the next tragedy strikes. We also look forward to continuing working with Senator Blouin and lawmakers to tackle gun suicides and keep our communities safe from all forms of gun violence.”
“We deserve to feel safe in the places that we cherish the most. The people of Utah deserve to have legislators who put the safety, security, and well being of their constituents ahead of the gun industry. That’s what this effort is all about: protecting families from gun violence. By keeping these dangerous weapons off our streets, and implementing a waiting period, we protect our malls, schools, and places of worship from a crisis turning fatal and other senseless acts of gun violence. SB130 is a beginning, a way to move forward with safety and sensibility,” said Senator Nate Blouin.
The legislation introduced would help prevent far-too-common mass shootings by prohibiting the sale, transfer, and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines that hold 10 or more rounds of ammunition. These are the types of rifles that, especially when paired with large-capacity magazines, allow mass shooters to unleash destructive, rapid-fire barrages on unsuspecting victims in seconds.
From 2015 to 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where an assault weapon was used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot, more than twice as many people killed, and 23 times as many people wounded on average compared to those that did not involve the use of one. Nine states and Washington, DC, have enacted legislation to prohibit assault weapons.
The introduced legislation also strengthens the state’s gun safety laws by creating a waiting period on all firearm purchases to ensure firearms aren’t being transferred during a moment of an acute mental health crisis that could result in the person harming themselves or others.
Creating a time buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun can be the difference between life and death, especially during a time of crisis. Guns are by far the most lethal method of commonly-used methods of self-harm, with a fatality rate of about 90%. By implementing a waiting period the state would reduce the chances of a moment of crisis being fatal.
Every single day, more than 120 people are shot and killed and hundreds more are shot and wounded in devastating homicides, suicides, domestic violence incidents, and unintentional shootings that never even make headlines. Gun violence costs Utah $5.5 billion each year, of which $50.1 million is paid by taxpayers. 83% of gun deaths in Utah are by gun suicide. More information about gun violence in Utah is available here.