Nevada draws fire after shooting down Utah gun permits

Utah gun owners are protesting Nevada's decision to reject Utah-issued concealed-weapon permits. On July 1, the Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association, which sets the Silver State's permit recognition requirements, dropped Utah from the list of states whose permit holders also may carry concealed firearms in Nevada. The reason: Utah does not require permit holders to prove their proficiency with a live-fire test on a shooting range. "You don't get a driver's license without taking a driving-in-the-car test," Frank Adams, the Nevada association's executive director, said Monday. The same should apply for weapons owners, he said. "You should at least show proficiency." The policy group Gun Owners of Utah this past weekend issued a call for letters and e-mails of protest after getting an alert from the National Rifle Association. On Monday, though, group spokesman Bill Clayton said the cause appears hopeless because Nevada authorities interpret their state law as backing up the ban. Nevada law requires permittees from other states to meet substantially the same requirements as Nevada holders, and Nevada requires a shooting test. "We don't want to impose any more burdens on permit applicants than are necessary," Clayton said, but other states do. "I guess for the time being that's a fact of life." Gun Owners of Utah sees no difference in safety records among states that require a shooting test and those that don't, Clayton said. So the group does not support changing Utah's requirements to regain Nevada's confidence...SaltLakeTribune