It is the established position of the Utah Shooting Sports Council that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental individual right that is recognized by the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and in Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Utah. This right is held by "the People", not only by those that are part of any organized or unorganized group under the term 'militia".

     USSC maintains the position that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental natural, human and civil right. We also hold that as a fundamental right, the ready access to the means of self defense is inherent in the exercise of this right. In most instances, the most readily available and effective means to that end is a firearm.

     We have always supported the concept of broad-based and readily available voluntary firearms safety education and training programs and materials for all the citizens of our state. Organizations like the Utah Shooting Sports Council, the National Rifle Association and others have always been at the forefront of developing and implementing such training and education programs nationwide. Organizations such as USSC, the NRA and others maintain tens of thousands of shooting sports instructors and coaches training millions of individuals in firearms safety every year.

     Because of broad based and accessible programs Such as these, the rate of accidental firearms deaths among children and adults in this nation is at an all-time historic low. We believe that additional educational and public awareness programs may further improve this already impressive record. We must also remember that any educational program car. only be expected to reduce the level of ignorance and misinformation, not prevent or eliminate the violent, criminal or self-destructive acts of any given individual.

     We further support mandatory firearms familiarity or safety training and education in certain specific situations of an appropriate level to meet a clearly documented and proven need such as licensed hunting of protected wildlife, police and security officers, and private citizens licensed to carry a concealed firearm for personal self defense.

     We are fundamentally opposed to the implementation or use of any arbitrary training or educational standard as a condition for the mere ownership, possession, purchase, sale, transfer or use of a firearm. Our opposition is based on the fact that such educational requirements have historically been used as a mechanism of the state to limit and restrict, rather than support or encourage, the exercise of this fundamental individual right. Our opposition to several previous mandatory training proposals before the Utah Legislature has been based on this concern.

Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Utah Shooting Sports Council on 8 January, 1996