Newest Utah Firearms Laws

Here is a quick roundup of what happened in the last legislative session relating to Concealed Firearm Permits:

House Bill 78 (Third Substitute)

             33          Section 1. Section 76-2-402 is amended to read:
             34           76-2-402. Force in defense of person — Forcible felony defined.
             35          (1) (a) A person is justified in threatening or using force against another when and to
             36      the extent that [he or she] the person reasonably believes that force or a threat of force is
             37      necessary to defend [himself] the person or a third person against [such other’s] another
             38      person’s imminent use of unlawful force. [However, that]
             39          (b) A person is justified in using force intended or likely to cause death or serious
             40      bodily injury only if [he or she] the person reasonably believes that force is necessary to
             41      prevent death or serious bodily injury to [himself] the person or a third person as a result of
             42      [the other’s] another person’s imminent use of unlawful force, or to prevent the commission of
             43      a forcible felony.
             44          (2) (a) A person is not justified in using force under the circumstances specified in
             45      Subsection (1) if [he or she] the person:
             46          [(a)] (i) initially provokes the use of force against [himself] the person with the intent
             47      to use force as an excuse to inflict bodily harm upon the assailant;
             48          [(b)] (ii) is attempting to commit, committing, or fleeing after the commission or
             49      attempted commission of a felony; or
             50          [(c) (i)] (iii) was the aggressor or was engaged in a combat by agreement, unless [he]
             51      the person withdraws from the encounter and effectively communicates to the other person his
             52      intent to do so and, notwithstanding, the other person continues or threatens to continue the
             53      use of unlawful force[; and].
             54          [(ii) for] (b) For purposes of Subsection [(i)] (2)(a)(iii) the following do not, by
             55      themselves, constitute “combat by agreement”:
             56          [(A)] (i) voluntarily entering into or remaining in an ongoing relationship; or
             57          [(B)] (ii) entering or remaining in a place where one has a legal right to be.
             58          (3) A person does not have a duty to retreat from the force or threatened force


             59      described in Subsection (1) in a place where that person has lawfully entered or remained,
             60      except as provided in Subsection (2)[(c)](a)(iii).
             61          (4) (a) For purposes of this section, a forcible felony includes aggravated assault,
             62      mayhem, aggravated murder, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and aggravated kidnapping,
             63      rape, forcible sodomy, rape of a child, object rape, object rape of a child, sexual abuse of a
             64      child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and aggravated sexual assault as defined in Title 76,
             65      Chapter 5, Offenses Against the Person, and arson, robbery, and burglary as defined in Title
             66      76, Chapter 6, Offenses Against Property.
             67          (b) Any other felony offense which involves the use of force or violence against a
             68      person so as to create a substantial danger of death or serious bodily injury also constitutes a
             69      forcible felony.
             70          (c) Burglary of a vehicle, defined in Section 76-6-204 , does not constitute a forcible
             71      felony except when the vehicle is occupied at the time unlawful entry is made or attempted.
             72          (5) In determining imminence or reasonableness under Subsection (1), the trier of fact
             73      may consider, but is not limited to, any of the following factors:
             74          (a) the nature of the danger;
             75          (b) the immediacy of the danger;
             76          (c) the probability that the unlawful force would result in death or serious bodily
             77      injury;
             78          (d) the other’s prior violent acts or violent propensities; and
             79          (e) any patterns of abuse or violence in the parties’ relationship.
             80          Section 2. Section 76-10-506 is amended to read:
             81           76-10-506. Threatening with or using dangerous weapon in fight or quarrel.
             82          (1) As used in this section, “threatening manner” does not include:
             83          (a) the possession of a dangerous weapon, whether visible or concealed, without
             84      additional behavior which is threatening; or
             85          (b) informing another of the actor’s possession of a deadly weapon in order to prevent
             86      what the actor reasonably perceives as a possible use of unlawful force by the other and the


             87      actor is not engaged in any activity described in Subsection 76-2-402 (2)(a).
             88          (2) [Every person, except] Except as otherwise provided in Section 76-2-402 and for
             89      those persons described in Section 76-10-503 , a person who, [not in necessary self defense] in
             90      the presence of two or more persons, draws or exhibits [any] a dangerous weapon in an angry
             91      and threatening manner or unlawfully uses [the same] a dangerous weapon in [any] a fight or
             92      quarrel is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
             93          (3) This section does not apply to a person who, reasonably believing the action to be
             94      necessary in compliance with Section 76-2-402 , with purpose to prevent another’s use of
             95      unlawful force:
             96          (a) threatens the use of a dangerous weapon; or
             97          (b) draws or exhibits a dangerous weapon.

House Bill 214 – as it is very long, you can read all of it at this link: http://le.utah.gov/~2010/bills/hbillenr/hb0214.htm

             13          This bill:
             14          .    changes the names of the Concealed Weapon Act and the Concealed Weapon
             15      Review Board to the Concealed Firearm Act and the Concealed Firearm Review
             16      Board;
             17          .    provides that duties related to the issuance of a concealed firearm permit previously
             18      designated to be performed by the Criminal Investigations and Technical Services
             19      Division will be performed by the Bureau of Criminal Identification;
             20          .    clarifies the ability of the bureau to revoke a concealed carry permit of a licensee
             21      who is convicted of a felony or other crimes or offenses; and
             22          .    makes certain technical changes.

House Bill 380            

32          53-5a-103. Discharge of firearm on private property — Liability.
             33          (1) Except as provided under Subsection (2), a private property owner, who knowingly
             34      allows a person who has a permit to carry a concealed firearm under Section 53-5-704 to bring
             35      the firearm onto the owner’s property, is not civilly or criminally liable for any damage or harm
             36      resulting from the discharge of the firearm by the permit holder while on the owner’s property.
             37          (2) Subsection (1) does not apply if the property owner solicits, requests, commands,
             38      encourages, or intentionally aids the concealed firearm permit holder in discharging the firearm
             39      while on the owner’s property.

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