Gun-loving Utah lawmakers have made a mess of "peacekeepers," protestors and innocent bystanders.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: War and Peace
"Peacekeeper"—it's such a comforting word. Don't we all want to be peacekeepers? And yet, it's a favorite nickname for guns, of any type. And now, it has morphed into a name for random people carrying firearms wherever they want because, of course, they want to keep the peace. Instead, at a "peaceful" rally of tens of thousands of people, one of those "peacekeepers" shot and killed an innocent bystander. It's almost comical to hear 2nd Amendment proponents talk about how complicated this all is. It's complicated because the Legislature has chosen to allow adults to carry firearms, openly or concealed, without a permit. That it's confusing for the public goes without saying. The peacekeeper's intended target, Arturo Gamboa, has been released from custody, because who knows what he intended? How's that working for us now? We should all be very afraid—of everything.
Miss: Measles and Mumps
Here we go. Utah just had its first verified case of measles and if you've been to Utah County lately, you may be at risk. But it's all good, right? RFK, Jr. warns us about vaccines. One commenter on the Deseret News site says this: "RFK is here to protect us from fluoride and food coloring, not diseases like measles." More like, he's here to make sure kids get lots of natural cavities—and maybe measles, too. If you follow anyone on Instagram, it should be Dr. Noc (Morgan McSweeney), an actual scientist who says he was wrong to say RFK, Jr. was unqualified. No—Noc underestimated just how unqualified RFK, Jr. is. There have been 1,214 confirmed measles cases nationally as of June 19. So buckle up.
Hit: The People's Choice
Finally, we have the "official" answer. Utah's lieutenant governor has confirmed that the referendum campaign against the Legislature's anti-union bill garnered 140,000 verified signatures statewide. That's more than enough to meet the ballot qualifications. But don't expect anything to happen this year. First, opponents have 45 days to "persuade" voters to take their names off the petition. And Gov. Spencer Cox has declined to call a special election, so Utahns will have to wait until 2026 to decide whether they want to outlaw unions. Because the Legislature knows best, they passed HB267 to prohibit public sector collective bargaining. Of course, no one knows how the Republican electorate would vote, especially since the GOP seems to like to restrict power to those who have been elected.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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