Bill would clear way for getting guns out o..

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After the Newtown massacre, Rep. Dixon Pitcher said he wondered how things might've been different if the shooter's mother had been able to get her guns out of the house before her son went on the killing spree.

And so the Ogden Republican unveiled Thursday HB121 — the Firearms Safe Harbor bill.

Pitcher said the measure would allow the owner of a firearm who was experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress to turn their guns in for a 60-day period at a local police station for storage until their situation stabilized.

He said the decision to turn a gun in temporarily would be voluntary and did not impact the rights of gun owners.

"It gets people over a short-term issue where it would be better for the gun to be out of the house," Pitcher said.

Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, said his group hasn't taken a position on the bill yet.

dmontero@sltrib.com

Twitter: @davemontero

Bill would clear way for getting guns out of house