Browning Pistol Clears First Hurdle in Race to Become State Handgun

(KCPW News)  A bill that would designate a Browning handgun as the state firearm received a favorable recommendation from a House committee yesterday.

One opponent of the bill said similar guns are being used to commit massacres, like the recent shooting in Arizona, and should not be celebrated.  However bill sponsor, Republican Representative Carl Wimmer, preferred to recall the historical significance of the weapon.

“This handgun has served this country, and its legacy and the legacy of its manufacturer lives on.  It served in every single war since World War One,” said Wimmer.

The House Political Subdivisions committee voted 9 to 2 in favor of using the M1911 automatic pistol as a Utah symbol, with only two Democrats opposing the designation.  Wimmer’s bill will now be voted on by the full House of Representatives.