This bill addresses the storage of firearms.
This bill:
Support
Strong Communities
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah law currently does not hold adults criminally responsible when a child accesses an unsecured firearm in their home. This bill would create a new criminal offense — a class C misdemeanor — for adults 18 or older who store or leave a loaded firearm at their residence without locking it in a secure container or attaching a trigger lock, when they know or reasonably should know a child under 16 could get to it, and that child then illegally obtains the firearm and either carries or displays it in public or uses it in a threatening manner during a fight. The bill provides an affirmative defense for gun owners who took reasonable precautions to keep the firearm secured, and it does not apply if the child obtained the gun through a break-in, used it in lawful self-defense, or if the owner promptly reported the missing firearm to law enforcement.
Introduction
Jan 20
House Rules
Mar 5
House Committee
Jan 23
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionJan 20
House RulesMar 5
House CommitteeJan 23
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
This bill addresses the storage of firearms.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah law currently does not hold adults criminally responsible when a child accesses an unsecured firearm in their home. This bill would create a new criminal offense — a class C misdemeanor — for adults 18 or older who store or leave a loaded firearm at their residence without locking it in a secure container or attaching a trigger lock, when they know or reasonably should know a child under 16 could get to it, and that child then illegally obtains the firearm and either carries or displays it in public or uses it in a threatening manner during a fight. The bill provides an affirmative defense for gun owners who took reasonable precautions to keep the firearm secured, and it does not apply if the child obtained the gun through a break-in, used it in lawful self-defense, or if the owner promptly reported the missing firearm to law enforcement.
Support
Strong Communities
Motion: Motion for Favorable Recommendation
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ strike enacting clause
Clerk of the House
House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules
House Rules Committee
House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
House Comm - Motion to Recommend Failed
House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM