Utah House rejects bill mandating firearm warning signs after restoring civil-liability language

Substitute House Bill 82, which would have required warning labels reminding firearm purchasers and hunters of safe handling and storage, failed on the House floor after an amendment restored language referencing civil liability.

Representative David M. Jones, sponsor of the substitute, told colleagues the bill’s purpose was to “remind those gun owners of their common sense responsibility to safely store and handle and use firearms.” He described two placements for the warning: a placard at the point of sale and language in the state hunting proclamation, and read the proposed warning: “Any person who possesses a firearm is responsible for the safe handling, storage, and use of a firearm. Any person's failure to safely handle, store, and use a firearm may result in injury or death.”

Representative Erby Arrington offered an amendment to reinsert explicit reference to civil liability that had been removed in committee. Arrington said adding civil-liability language would “raise another red flag” to encourage safer storage practices and make owners aware they could face legal consequences. Representative Jones supported the change, saying it would not create new liability but would remind some owners who might not know they could be sued under existing personal-injury law.

The Arrington amendment passed on the floor, and the House then voted on the bill as amended. Voting closed with 34 affirmative and 39 negative votes; the measure failed and will not move to the Senate.

Why it mattered: supporters argued the bill was a low-cost way to encourage safer firearm storage and might spur sales of safety devices; opponents signaled concern about the bill’s impact or sufficiency of statutory remedies already available. The House record shows the amendment process and the close final tally as the decisive outcome.

The House moved on to other third-reading items after the vote.