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Governor Herbert Talks Gun Safety, Praises Student Activists Ahead Of March

KUED

Speaking at his monthly news conference, Governor Gary Herbert addressed the possible need for stronger gun regulations in the state of Utah and applauded the efforts of young students to raise their voices on the matter.

“Utah has been a very strong supporter of the second amendment," Herbert said. "But that does not mean that there are not parameters put on that second amendment.”

Herbert suggested a few options: background checks, discontinuing the sale of bump stocks — the gun attachment used in the Las Vegas shooting — and lowering the age of gun ownership.

“I’m interested in doing something that actually creates a positive result," Herbert said. "Not just a feel good thing, but something that actually makes a difference.”

Herbert also acknowledged the role that teenage activists are playing.

"They’re getting involved, they’re mobilizing, they’re actually saying, ‘Let our voices be heard,’" Herbert said.

Many teenagers across the country, including Salt Lake City, will be marching this Saturday as part of March For Our Lives, a demonstration to make school safety a priority and end gun violence.

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Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.
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