Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill into law, allowing citizens of Utah to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, background check, or training class. Of course, you still have to legally be able to own and carry a firearm in order to take advantage of the new law.
Thus, we get a lot of questions from potentials students about why they would embark on taking a class and incurring a cost to get a permit if one isn’t necessary anymore in order to carry a concealed handgun. Below are the various reasons why:
- Reciprocity – If you ever travel outside of Utah you will want a permit in order to continue to carry concealed. Currently, over 30 states honor or have reciprocity with the Utah CCW permit. Without the permit, you cannot carry in any of those states.
- Without a permit, you can not carry your firearm within 1000 feet of a school. Do you realize how difficult it is to avoid 1000 feet boundaries of every school in the state? (Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act)
- If you have a permit, the state background check fee is waived when you purchase a firearm. In addition, the background check is almost instantaneous and returns to the dealer much faster when you have a permit. Thus you save time and money when you purchase a firearm.
- Having a permit makes it easier for law enforcement to identify you as a person who has gone through a legal process to obtain training and education. It also proves to them that you can pass a rigorous background check, whereas people who don’t have a permit perhaps chose not to undergo the scrutiny of a background check. It says a lot about you when you find yourself in a confrontation (like a traffic stop) and you have a firearm.
- Your attorney will thank you. When you eventually end up in court to defend your own firearm-related actions you will be more defend-able from charges like recklessness and negligence.
- Probably the greatest and most important reason however is the training. While we don’t feel that citizens should be legally required to obtain training in order to exercise a constitutional right; we do understand how critical training and education are. In the process of getting a permit you will learn critical skills and obtain important knowledge including:
- Utah laws relating to the use of force. WHEN you can legally defend yourself
- Utah laws relating to daily carry. WHERE you can carry and HOW you can have the firearm on your person
- Firearm safety skills
- Knowledge about tactics and self-defense
- Information about dealing with law enforcement after a deadly encounter
- Much Much More