Utah lawmakers propose M1911 as official state gun

I can already hear anti-gun proponents howling about how gun-crazy the West is. But the M1911 was invented by a Utahn, and is not only of historical interest, it’s still in use.

Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer said the state should have the gun as one of its state symbols to honor John Browning, a Utah native who invented it in 1911.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m agnostic about guns. You want a houseful of them? Well then, have at it, even if I don’t really get why.

However, in the West, unlike urban areas on the coasts, guns are part of the culture and have been since the West was settled by whites. People grow up knowing how to use them and they just aren’t a big deal. Gun ownership in Utah is high and the rate of violence by guns is low. (There practically are no home invasions in Utah either, for obvious reasons.)

Guns are a major issue that continue to split the country along the city / rural divide with much anger and fear going back and forth but little clarity or attempts to understand the other side. Someone in L.A. might think, why do those crazy people in the country have so many guns, while someone from rural Utah who started hunting when they were eight might wonder why city folks want to take their guns away.

This often gets pegged as a right / left issue. But I think it’s more urban vs. country. And of course, lots of lefties own guns too.