To protect and preserve the individual right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Utah Constitution, Article I, § 6, the Legislature makes the following findings:

(1) the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees to the state and the state’s people all powers not granted to the federal government elsewhere in the United States Constitution and reserves to the state and people of Utah certain powers as those powers were understood at the time that Utah was admitted to statehood;

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Terms Used In Utah Code 53-5a-201

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • United States: includes each state, district, and territory of the United States of America. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(2) the guarantee of powers to the state and the state’s people under the Tenth Amendment is a matter of contract between the state and people of Utah and the United States as of the time of statehood;
(3) the Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees to the people rights not granted in the United States Constitution and reserves to the people of Utah certain rights as those rights were understood at the time that Utah was admitted to statehood;
(4) the guarantee of rights to the people under the Ninth Amendment is a matter of contract between the state and people of Utah and the United States as of the time of statehood;
(5) the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution reserves to the people the right to keep and bear arms as that right was understood at the time that Utah was admitted to statehood, and the guarantee of the right is a matter of contract between the state and people of Utah and the United States as of the time of statehood; and
(6) the Utah Constitution clearly secures to Utah citizens, and prohibits unconstitutional government interference with, the right of individual Utah citizens to keep and bear arms.