The right of Utah citizens to own and use weapons for personal and public defense is mentioned in both the US Bill of Rights and also in the Utah State Constitution. As a Senator, I will support those Constitutional rights to responsibly own and use guns. The State of Utah is primarily responsible for defining what constitutes legal use of guns for the citizens of the state and the current laws seem to be reasonable and working as they presently exist.

I would like to see cooperation on both sides of the issue to reduce the motivations for gun violence. The U.S. should work to eliminate poverty, ignorance, and despair as these are prime motivators for crime and its subsequent violence. Reactive approaches are all too often the short term patch, where the proactive approach is best for the long term.