Davis County state Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton, is sponsoring a bill to allow people to legally carry a firearm without fear of being charged with disorderly conduct by police. It's a bad idea that takes away important aspects of a law enforcement officer's job, such as the ability to discern when an incident can get out of hand, and the ability to control a tense situation.
Rep. Ray is apparently worried about a law enforcement officer's hassling a law-abiding individual who is legally carrying a firearm. On the very rare ocacasions that occurs, we share his concern.
But Rep. Ray's House Bill 49 is not needed to address a rare problem. We're far more worried about police officers being legislatively forced to mull over whether they are breaking an unnecessary firearms law while trying to defuse or deal with a tense, dangerous situation.
Frankly, if one is allowed to legally carry a firearm in Utah, they should be mature enough to comply with an officer's request and then file a complaint later if so inclined.
We don't see a rash of cases where police have hassled owners of firearms in Utah. Why in the world would the Legislature want to waste time and money creating a law that fulfills no real need?
