SALT LAKE CITY -- We need tighter gun control: that’s what you’ll hear many people saying after the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs. And President Barack Obama is urging lawmakers to take action.
“When these events happen, there's always a call for more gun control and that does spur sales. Sometimes, a lot,” said Dave Larsen with Doug’s Shoot’n Sports in Taylorsville.
When the national conversation turns to gun laws, many customers come to stock up: unsure if the political forecast will include more regulation.
By their standards, Utah as a state already has it pretty good in the gun law arena.
“We are arguably one of the most permissive states when it comes to firearms,” said Clark Aposhian, Chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council.
That’s because, he said, there’s “No waiting period, you can do private transfers, no weapon restrictions, no magazine restrictions.”
He said they don’t think gun control is the right direction to head in. Instead, he’d like to see a crackdown by the federal government in enforcing existing laws.
But with the Utah State Legislature kicking off their session next month, the Utah Democratic Party said it’s possible they’ll see talks on the topic.
“I think there will be some more discussions about, again: How can we make our communities safer?” Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon said. “That's what we want to see.”
He, like Aposhian, doesn’t want the conversation to focus on gun control. But he does think something needs to give.
“I think we need some changes and they need to be reasonable changes,” he said.
Corroon mentioned background checks as one of those possible changes.
Back at Doug’s Shoot’n Sports, Larsen said they’re seeing a busy holiday season. The shop and range are bustling with customers, with some waiting to see how politics will move forward in the face of tragedy.
