Utah—With a stroke of Gov. Gary Herbert's pen last week, Utah became the first state in the country to have an official state gun, John Moses Browning's 1911 pistol. Utah native Browning's famous gun now joins the elk as the state animal, the Bonneville cutthroat trout as the state fish, and the Dutch oven as the state cooking pot.
North Dakota—A bill allowing North Dakota workers to keep guns locked in their cars and trucks while at work, even if the employer doesn't allow firearms on company property was passed by the House of Representatives by an 82-12 margin and awaits action in Senate committee. The measure exempts, colleges, jails or companies that work with explosives.
Florida—Senate and House committees approved an NRA-backed measure this week that prevents local governments from pre-empting the state's gun laws and adds financial penalties between $5,000 and $100,000. The bill has two additional committee stops in the Senate and one more in the House before being heard by the full legislative bodies.
Oregon—A measure allowing reciprocity for persons with concealed-carry handgun permits from 37 states with laws similar to Oregon's carry laws passed the state House March 21 by a 40-17 margin and now heads to the Senate for consideration. On March 17, the House passed HB 2787—exempting concealed-handgun permit applications from public disclosure—with similar bipartisan vote of 42-18.
Alaska—An Alaska lawmaker has introduced a measure to name an official state firearm. A bill introduced Friday by Sen. Charlie Huggins (R-Wasilla) would designate the pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 Sprg. as the state gun. Alaska has a state dog (Malamute), state flower (Forget-me-not), and state mineral (gold).
