Utah Poised To Remove Concealed Weapon Permit Requirements

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah gun owners would be able to carry concealed weapons without a permit under a bill that passed the state Senate on Friday, leaving one procedural vote before it heads to the desk of a supportive Gov. Spencer Cox.

Several other states, including Tennessee, are considering similar measures backed by gun-rights groups like the National Rifle Association.

The bill would remove requirements to take a weapons course and undergo a background check to carry a hidden gun legally in public.

Currently, the state Bureau of Criminal Identification says “applicants must complete a firearms familiarity course certified by BCI. No exceptions.”

Gun-control groups say those steps keep people safer. But supporters of the bill say they are ineffective and undermine Second Amendment rights.