All Roll Calls
Yes: 181 • No: 0
UtahH.B. 1282025 General SessionHouseWALLET
Dangerous Weapons Recodification and Cross References
Sponsored By: Gwynn, Matthew H.
Signed by Governor
EducationK-12 EducationHigher EducationLaw Enforcement and Criminal JusticePublic SafetyWeaponsCampus SafetyColleges and Universities
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
29 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 18 costs, 6 mixed.
Adults gain statewide firearm carry protections
Adults age 21 or older can carry loaded or unloaded firearms openly or concealed without a permit where Utah law allows. People ages 18 to 20 have narrower open-carry rights without a qualifying permit. Eligible adults age 18 or older can keep firearms at home or on their property, including rented homes and temporary camps. These rights do not override legal possession bans or location limits, including school, secure-area, airport, and specified private-property restrictions. State and local governments cannot impose firearm, ammunition, or accessory restrictions beyond authority granted by state law.
Some convictions no longer block weapon access
Qualifying expungements, set-asides, conviction reductions, pardons, civil-rights restoration, and specified business-regulation offenses can prevent restricted-person status. Relief that expressly bars firearm possession does not end that status. One qualifying dating-relationship assault conviction can stop counting after five years from the latest conviction, incarceration release, or successful probation completion, absent another restriction. In criminal cases, defendants first present exception evidence; the state must then disprove the exception beyond a reasonable doubt. For conviction reductions, restricted-person firearm purchase or possession is excluded from the violent-felony definition, removing prosecutor consent on that basis.
Concealed firearms carry misdemeanor and felony penalties
People younger than 21 face penalties for carrying a readily accessible concealed firearm without a qualifying permit outside listed exceptions. The offense is a class B misdemeanor, or class A if loaded; use in a violent felony is a second-degree felony. Exceptions cover listed home, property, vehicle, and business situations, plus lawful wildlife taking subject to location limits. Non-restricted people also have a 120-day exception after issuance of specified protective orders. Separately, unlawfully possessing and concealing a readily accessible short-barreled rifle or shotgun so the public cannot detect it is a second-degree felony.
Daycare weapons bring penalties and record limits
Carrying a dangerous weapon at daycare is a class B misdemeanor, or class A for a firearm, with reasonable cause to recognize the premises. The rule covers daycare buildings or rooms used for daycare, with exceptions for listed permits, approved activities or possession, certain homes and vehicles, and weapons-law exemptions. For alleged daycare weapon misdemeanors committed at age 12 or older, juvenile probation officers must seek prosecutor review instead of offering a noncourt adjustment. Beginning May 7, 2025, people age 18 or older cannot receive automatic juvenile-record expungement when their record contains a qualifying daycare weapon adjustment. That exclusion covers adjustments completed on or after October 1, 2023.
Firearm offenses threaten licenses and sentences
Utah must immediately revoke licenses after receiving records of specified vehicle-discharge offenses or violations of Section 76-11-210, including specified juvenile adjudications. Revocation is no longer limited to felony offenses. Felony firearm discharge also counts as a violent felony for habitual violent offender sentencing. A later violent-felony sentence can increase after at least two qualifying prior violent-felony convictions with prison commitments. A fact-finder must find habitual violent offender status beyond a reasonable doubt.
Minors and adults face firearm penalties
A minor's dangerous-weapon possession is a class B misdemeanor initially and class A afterward; handguns, short-barreled rifles or shotguns, fully automatic weapons, and machinegun attachments bring third-degree felonies. The stated under-14 exception requires parental permission, adult accompaniment, and no criminal use; ages 14–17 require permission and no criminal use, with additional activity-specific exceptions. Unlawful handgun transfers to minors are class B misdemeanors initially and class A afterward; unlawful short-barreled rifle, shotgun, or fully automatic weapon transfers are third-degree felonies. Transfer penalties apply when the transfer violates the cited minor-possession law or another state or federal law. Parents or guardians who knowingly provide or allow firearms after a child's qualifying violent-felony conviction or juvenile adjudication face a class A misdemeanor initially and third-degree felonies afterward.
Firearm dealers face broader felony exposure
Dealers commit a third-degree felony when they willfully and intentionally sell or transfer a firearm in violation of the firearm-transfer part. The offense also covers willful and intentional violations of Utah's Title 76, Chapter 11 weapons laws. This expands the weapons-law violations covered by the dealer felony.
Weapon restrictions cover two defined groups
The law creates two restricted-person categories subject to dangerous-weapon limits and penalties, with statutory exceptions. Category I includes violent-felony convictions, felony probation or parole, secure-care parole, unlawful immigration status, and probation for specified drug convictions. It also covers juvenile adjudications equivalent to adult violent felonies for 10 years. Category II includes specified felony and misdemeanor assault convictions, including qualifying domestic-relationship assaults; some repeat offenses and juvenile adjudications count within seven years. It also covers unlawful drug use or possession, qualifying mental-health findings or commitments, dishonorable discharge, renounced U.S. citizenship, and qualifying protective orders.
Restricted people and suppliers face weapon penalties
Category I and II restricted people cannot knowingly buy, transfer, use, carry, or possess dangerous weapons; Category I also covers arranging those acts. Firearm offenses are second-degree felonies for Category I and third-degree felonies for Category II; other weapons bring third-degree felonies and class A misdemeanors, respectively. Knowingly supplying firearms to these groups carries the same felony levels; for other weapons, those penalties require knowledge of intended unlawful use. Limited defenses cover transfers of previously held weapons within 10 days after restriction, subject to statutory limits or a different court deadline, and specified lawful controlled-substance possession for Category II. Lawful archery hunting and target shooting, including crossbows, are excepted unless a court or the parole board prohibits them.
Vehicle firearm storage and carrying limits
A firearm in a glove box or console counts as securely encased when a holster or case covers its trigger. It is then not treated as readily accessible for immediate use. Adults age 18 or older face a class B misdemeanor for carrying a readily accessible firearm in a vehicle without lawful possession or the possessor's consent. Carrying a loaded rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading rifle in any vehicle also carries that penalty. Holders of the permits specified by Utah law, including qualifying out-of-state permits, are exempt from these offenses.
Clearer notices and firearm restriction relief
Courts must give updated notices when qualifying pleas, convictions, or service of specified protective orders make someone firearm-restricted. The notices cover buying, transferring, using, and possessing firearms, and related penalties. People restricted through service of qualifying pretrial, sentencing, or continuous protective orders have a limited transfer defense. The defense applies to state transfer charges when firearms are lawfully transferred within 10 days after the restriction begins. After a qualifying court order removes a firearm restriction, the bureau must remove affected state database entries or forward the order to the responsible agency.
Permit holders avoid purchase check fees
Buyers with qualifying concealed-firearm or provisional permits are exempt from the firearm-purchase background check and its fee. Buyers must show the permit before purchase, and the dealer must verify its validity with the bureau. Temporary concealed-firearm permits do not qualify.
Firearm owners gain debt collection protection
Individuals can claim protection from debt-collection seizure for one handgun, one shotgun, and one shoulder arm. The protection includes qualifying curio or relic firearms, which are no longer excluded. Up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each protected firearm are also covered.
Antique firearms lose selected legal exclusions
Antique firearms are no longer excluded from the firearm definition used in Sections 76-10-526 and 76-10-527. Antique handguns also count as handguns or pistols and revolvers under Sections 76-10-520, 76-10-521, and 76-10-522. These changes apply to those specific laws, not every antique-firearm exemption.
Gun carriers lose listed rule exemptions
The law removes express exemptions from specified weapons restrictions for concealed-firearm permit holders, including temporary permit holders. It also removes exemptions for people age 21 or older who can otherwise lawfully possess firearms. Another deleted exemption covered certain protective-order recipients for 120 days. Qualifying nonresidents traveling with unloaded, securely encased firearms also lose a listed exemption. These deletions remove those express exemptions, not every permission available elsewhere in law.
Handgun owners face identification marking penalties
Placing an identification mark or number on a handgun without a department assignment is a class A misdemeanor. Exceptions cover department-authorized restoration and normal manufacturer markings on new handguns. Changing or removing a handgun's maker name, model, number, or other identifying mark requires advance written department permission. Doing so without permission is also a class A misdemeanor. These marking restrictions do not apply to antique firearms.
Officials and security officers lose exemptions
Listed official and carrier exemptions do not cover Sections 76-11-207, 76-11-209, or 76-11-210. Covered groups include marshals, specified federal officials, peace officers, qualifying law enforcement officials, judges, court commissioners, and common carriers. Law enforcement officials, judges, and court commissioners need the specified certificate; Section 76-11-217 applies to listed individuals whose employer lacks a dangerous-weapons policy. Armored car and armed private security officers no longer have the exemption from Section 76-10-505. Their concealed-permit exemption remains in place while they perform their licensed roles under governing rules.
College and court weapons face location limits
Knowingly carrying a dangerous weapon at a public or private college or on its grounds is a class B misdemeanor. Carrying a firearm there is a class A misdemeanor. The college restriction excludes listed weapons-law exemptions, concealed, provisional, or temporary permit holders, approved activities or possession, certain homes, and qualifying vehicles. Separate secure-area rules cover designated college hearing rooms and Judicial Council secure areas. Those areas must follow weapons and explosives rules, post entrance notices, and provide secure weapons storage.
Gun carriers face location-based limits
Concealed firearm carriers must follow secure-facility rules and face penalties for violations, whether or not they have permits. People ages 18 through 20 commit a class B misdemeanor by carrying a loaded firearm on a public street. The street restriction excludes holders of the specified provisional concealed-carry permit. When a weapons-chapter provision does not specify loaded status, it covers both loaded and unloaded firearms.
Illegal weapon deals bring criminal penalties
Knowingly asking or encouraging someone to provide a dangerous weapon through an illegal transaction is an offense. Knowingly giving materially false information to deceive someone about a weapon transaction’s legality is also an offense. The penalty is a class A misdemeanor for a nonfirearm and a third-degree felony for a firearm.
Impaired weapon carriers face criminal penalties
Carrying a dangerous weapon ready for immediate use while under the influence is a class B misdemeanor. The rule covers alcohol under statutory blood- or breath-alcohol limits and controlled substances. Exceptions cover specified lawful use or threatened use of force and carrying in your home or a consenting person’s home. Compliant medical-cannabis use and qualifying use of prescribed controlled substances are also excepted.
Parents must address illegal weapon possession
Parents and legal guardians must make reasonable efforts to remove a dangerous weapon they know a minor possesses illegally. The duty covers biological or adopted children and minors under the adult’s legal guardianship. Knowingly failing to make those efforts is a class B misdemeanor.
Threatening weapon displays carry misdemeanor penalties
Unlawfully drawing or showing a dangerous weapon angrily and threateningly in the presence of two or more people is a class A misdemeanor. Unlawfully using one in a fight or quarrel before two or more people carries the same penalty. Mere possession without added threatening behavior does not count as a threatening display. Exceptions cover lawful conduct to prevent unlawful force and specified exempt officials performing their duties.
Unsafe shooting brings escalating criminal penalties
Improper dangerous-weapon discharge is a class B misdemeanor, including specified shooting from vehicles, across highways, at road signs or utility or railroad property, and in listed state parks. Shooting within 600 feet of a building or structure housing or feeding domestic animals requires written permission; actual permission at the time is a defense. Shooting toward a person while knowing or having reason to believe someone may be endangered is generally a third-degree felony. That felony also covers specified intimidation or harassment toward people or vehicles, or intimidation, harassment, or intended damage toward habitable structures; bodily injury raises it to second-degree, and serious bodily injury to first-degree. Exceptions cover lawful defense, specified official duties or legal authorization, and qualifying approved-range or training-ground shooting.
Weapon offenses expand racketeering case grounds
Unlawful pistol or revolver marking and identification alteration can count toward Utah's pattern-of-unlawful-activity cases. A pattern requires at least three related episodes of unlawful activity. Possessing a dangerous weapon with criminal intent also becomes a listed racketeering offense. It replaces the former listed offense of possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault.
Private gun checks have an end date
The law provided a voluntary online information check for private firearm buyers and sellers, then repealed it July 1, 2025. The process checked the other person’s concealed, provisional, or temporary permit status and could check stolen-firearm reports by serial number. It excluded dealer and federally licensed seller transactions. Government entities could not require its use.
Domestic violence weapon offense list changes
The law updates the weapon offenses listed as domestic violence when one cohabitant commits them against another. The list includes threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight, possession with criminal intent, and improper discharge. It replaces older entries for deadly-weapon possession with criminal intent, firearm discharge in specified circumstances, and threatening weapon use.
Insurance rules broaden domestic violence definition
Utah insurance provisions now include possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent in their domestic violence definition. This replaces the reference to possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault. The change affects insurance rules that use this definition; no premium, payment, or coverage amount is specified.
School weapon limits preserve approved access
Knowingly carrying a dangerous weapon on or about elementary or secondary school premises is a class B misdemeanor; firearms bring a class A misdemeanor. The school-specific rule still applies despite the general school-premises chapter exemption. Exceptions include qualifying permits for people age 21 or older, approved activities or possession, certain homes and vehicles, armed school guards, and listed weapons-law exemptions. School guardian and Educator-Protector participants can store firearms at school when they meet their programs' storage requirements. Approved group use of a range inside a school building requires an outdoor entrance and the most direct route to the range.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Gwynn, Matthew H.
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
Calvin R. Musselman
Republican • Senate
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 3/6/2025
House/ concurs with Senate amendment
Yes: 67 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/6/2025
Senate/ substituted
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/6/2025
Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
Yes: 25 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/6/2025
Senate/ floor amendment
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/26/2025
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 5 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/26/2025
Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Yes: 5 • No: 0
House vote • 2/7/2025
House/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 70 • No: 0
House vote • 1/29/2025
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 9 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ substituted
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ floor amendment
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Governor Signed
3/25/2025House/ to Governor
3/17/2025HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
3/17/2025HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
3/14/2025HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
3/14/2025Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
3/7/2025Bill Received from House for Enrolling
3/7/2025House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
3/7/2025HouseHouse/ received from Senate
3/7/2025HouseSenate/ to House
3/7/2025SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
3/7/2025SenateSenate/ received from House
3/7/2025SenateHouse/ to Senate
3/6/2025HouseHouse/ concurs with Senate amendment
3/6/2025HouseHouse/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
3/6/2025HouseHouse/ received from Senate
3/6/2025HouseSenate/ to House with amendments
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ floor amendment
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ substituted
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
3/6/2025SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
3/5/2025SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
2/26/2025SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ substituted
2/26/2025Senate
Bill Text
Enrolled
3/14/2025
Amended 3/6/2025 12:03:93
3/6/2025
Substitute #2
2/28/2025
Substitute #1
2/20/2025
Introduced
1/7/2025