A coalition made up of the Utah Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Utah
Education Association (teachers union), some non- LDS church leaders, and
assorted anti-gun extremist is trying to get an anti-gun initiative on the
November 2000 general election ballot.  This deceptively titled "Safe to
Learn, Safe to Worship Act" will prohibit licensed concealed carry permit
holders from carrying firearms in houses of worship, universities, schools,
and private homes. The coalition is busy collecting the thousands of
signatures needed to get it on the ballot.  If enough signatures are obtained
in the required number of counties by June 1st, it will appear on the November
2000 ballot for passage or defeat by Utah voters.

The news media spin is that the initiative is needed to keep guns out of
schools.  They have created the impression that this will stop juveniles, gang
members or psychos. This is false.  This initiative is not aimed as Harris and
Klebold type juvenile gunmen, or serial rapists, or murderers, or carjackers,
or kidnappers. This is aimed only at the 30,000 Utahns with concealed carry
permits who have been cleared by the Department of Public Safety and passed an
FBI background check. The above mentioned bad guys are already banned from
having guns in schools, churches, or anywhere else by existing laws, but you
won't hear that from the media.  Most of the people gathering supporting this
initiative have NOT even read the complete initiative, and do not understand
what it actually requires.

Every gun owner needs to fight this proposal.  This is NOT just about
concealed carry permit holders.  This is a major assault on the ability of law
abiding citizens to possess guns for self defense.  It is also part of a
larger campaign to relentlessly enact restrictions on the legal manufacture,
sale, transfer, ownership, possession, or use of any type of gun by any
person. This includes deer rifles and trap or skeet shotguns, ugly assault
rifles and beautiful antique flintlocks, cheap surplus guns and expensive
custom guns, small-easily concealed guns and guns too big to hide.  They hate
all guns and gun owners and are targeting one segment at a time. The anti gun
fanatics are trying to nibble away at any edge they can find. This fight is
important to ALL gun owners, not just the 30,000 Utahns with Concealed Carry
Permits.  YOU and YOUR guns may be next on their list!

The language on this bill is complicated and technical. Few people will bother
to read it.  The full text of this bill is available from the Utah Lieutenant
Governor's Office at http://governor.state.ut.us/lt_gover/guninitiative.htm.
You need to review this and tell everyone you know to REFUSE TO SIGN THE
PEITITIONS to put the initiative on next year's ballot.  You especially need
to talk with parents of school age children and others who attend PTA meetings
and encourage everyone to speak out against this initiative in the PTA
meeting.

Ten points to keep in mind when discussing the initiative:

(1)   There has never been a shooting in a school caused by a concealed carry
permit holder anywhere in Utah or the nation.

(2)   Two of the recent school shootings were stopped by private citizens with
guns.  The shooting in Pearl, Mississippi, was stopped when the assistant
principal retrieved his gun from his car and confronted the shooter.  No shots
were fired.  The shooting at the Edinboro, Pennsylvania, school dance was
stopped when a citizen leveled a shotgun at the attacker and told him to stop.
Again no shots were fired.  These are details that the media tries to hide.

(3)   Research by Professor John Lott of Yale University (formerly with the
University of Chicago) reveals that most mass public shootings take place in
gun free zones.  Places were the attackers know they will not meet any armed
resistance.

(4)   Even radio's strongest supporter of children and safety, Dr. Laura
Schlessinger, has decided that allowing law abiding citizens with permits to
carry concealed weapons is a good idea, including in schools and churches. You
can read Dr. Laura's column in the October 10, 1999 Deseret News.

(5)   This initiative defines a public or private pre-school or child care
facility as a school.  This means if you home school or do any day care in you
home you could be barred from having guns in you home.

(6)   If you take night classes at any school in the state, and have to walk
out to a dimly lit parking lot at night you will be unable to protect
yourself.

(7)   This will ban hunter safety classes, gunsmithing courses, JROTC owned
guns, competitive shooting sports, and even guns in museums on school or
church property.

(8)   This initiative would require a concealed carry permit holder or any one
legally in possession of a gun to get special permission to enter a private
residence with a firearm, making their carrying of a gun common knowledge.
They will become a more likely target for a criminal seeking a gun..
Convicted rapists, child molesters, murderers, drug dealers, burglars, or even
people like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer do not need to ask special permission
to enter a private residence.  But law abiding citizens will have to ask
first!

(9)   Churches and Houses of worship already have the power to keep concealed
carry permit holders off their property.  Mere posting of a sign or verbal
notification to permit holders is sufficient to forbid them from entering when
armed.

(10)  Some religious leaders reportedly support the ban on guns in churches on
theological grounds, claiming that guns have no place in sanctuaries or places
of worship. If they don't want guns on their property they ALREADY have the
means to ban them. The theological objection to guns is hypocritical, as these
leaders are happy to make exceptions for on and off duty police officers.
Imposing theological positions by passing laws is a clear violation of the
separation between church and state. Religious groups should be allowed to
worship as they see fit, free from government imposed rules of any sort. Will
these same churches support a ban on communion wine because it is offensive to
the theology of some other churches?