The Sandy City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to amend city ordinances to allow unrestricted carrying of firearms in public places within city limits. Nicole Martin is the spokeswoman for the city. She says the council and city officials are not trying to make a statement about gun control.
“We know this can be an emotional issue and we want it clear that this is an issue that the state has specifically said that cities are not to be involved in,” says Martin.
She says it was time for the council to re-examine the ordinance as mandated in state law and a recent letter to the city from the Second Amendment Foundation sped up the process.
Miko Tempski is the group’s general council. He says the Foundation’s mission is to inform the public on gun rights issues and to make sure cities are complying with state laws.
“What we end up with if we don’t do this is confusion on what cites can do and confusion on what people can do in these different cities and that ends up really chilling peoples’ rights,” says Tempski.
Miriam Walkingshaw is the president of Utah Parents Against Gun Violence. She says it’s unfortunate that the well-funded minority voice over powers the moderate majority.
“You know if you’re concerned about this issue and you do want to try to make a difference, talk to your state representative because that’s where all the policy decisions are made in Utah,” says Walkingshaw.
The city council made no changes in Tuesday night’s meeting to codes controlling what a person can legally do once they remove a gun from its holster.
NOTE: This story has been edited from original posting . The first sentence was changed for to add clarity.