I have readers in Utah. Is happiness a warm gun? Or is this plain crazy? Will kids be taught a list in school? State cute bird (gull), state fluffy animal (bee), state murder weapon?
Reminder: gun murders in the US last year - almost 10,000. 16204 murders in total. So while the NRA's right that 'guns don't kill people, people do', it's pretty clear that they prefer to do it with a gun. Even in Utah (It's the orange one above red Arizona). But now they can do it patriotically.
5 comments:
Scotsman and I were surprised when we saw these news, especially since it wasn't even posted on the actual Utah news page at all. Guess it wasn't that big of a deal to Utahns as much as it is to the rest of the world.
It's a pretty hateful State, I live here, I know. Just check out the new immigration laws, it's all very sad indeed. Just glad we live in a canyon, surrounded by nature, away from it all.
Depressing, isn't it? From your pictures, it's a very beautiful state. This weird little move is probably some PR stunt from the NRA and gun manufacturers - they own the politicians.
Maybe this particular weapon was chosen because it's the one used in most Utah killings?
I also live (albeit temporarily, thank Jeebus!) in Utah. Actually, I quite like it here, but there is plenty of crazy to go around!
I'm always somewhat taken aback at the attitude to guns and gun ownership here. A doctor from Wyoming told me that he only feels half dressed without his gun; another one from Mississippi nearly took my head off at my comment that "I just don't get it". According to him, "It's our constitutional right; at one time in this country you had to have a gun to survive". Having already had an argument with him at a work party that evening about the political value of Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly's contribution to current affairs analysis, I forbore from pointing out that the necessity to bear arms was largely born of a need to defend the country from repossession by those pesky native types who objected to having their land stolen by interlopers in the first place.
An interesting argument went on at the University of Utah last semester, where the right of students to carry arms on campus was under discussion. This was no hypothetical discussion, mind you, but an active debate as to what the U's official policy should be. It was finally decided that the existing policy would continue and so students at the U are still free to carry their concealed weapons on campus and in lectures. Great.
Incidentally, the state flower of Utah is the Sego Lily; the state fruit is Cherry; the state animal is the Elk; and the state fish is the Cutthroat Trout. Just so's you know! :)
Also, this state gun thing is not all that popular here, as shown by this article, which appeared in one of the local papers of record just after the state Senate approved the state gun without debate...
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