Eighteen-year-olds in Utah could soon be allowed to carry loaded rifles and shotguns in public places under a sweeping new gun rights bill set to be heard Friday. The legislation, proposed by House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, is on Friday's House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee agenda.
Currently, Utah law allows people over 21 to carry a loaded pistol, either hidden or in the open, in public without a permit. Other types of guns, like rifles and shotguns, can be carried in the open without a permit if they are not loaded.
HB133 makes it legal for anyone over 18 to carry loaded weapons of any type in most public places. It would still be illegal to carry weapons in private schools, daycares, airports and churches.
Lisonbee is responsible for several recent bills to dramatically expand gun rights in the state.
- In 2023, she authored HB219, which blocked the state from enforcing federal laws or regulations restricting firearms.
- In 2021 she was behind a resolution supporting legislation to make Utah a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" sate, which would allow authorities to ignore federal laws they believed went against the Second Amendment.