Utah Now Has An Official State Firearm: The Browning M1911
Official state firearm of Utah: The Browning M1911
Every state has an official state flower, a state animal, a state gem, a state bird, a state fossil, heck maybe even a state insect. Now adding to the list of items that states honor and make official, the state of Utah has chosen the Browning M1911 as the official state firearm.
Coming not long after the tragedy in Tucson, this new state firearm has garnered quite a bit of criticism, and is seen as somewhat inappropriate and unnecessary.
The Browning M1911 was designed by John Browning, a Utah native. It is said to symbolize freedom and power according to the sponsor of the new law.
Posted from the BBC.co.uk
The .45-calibre semi-automatic pistol was designed by Browning, who was born in Utah in 1855, to fill the US military’s need for a pistol with stopping power – the ability to fell an enemy with a single shot.
It was adopted by the US Army in 1911, and first saw action in combat with Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa in 1916, according to the Browning Arms Company. It was later used in World War I and beyond.
Democratic Utah State Representative Brian King opposed the bill.
“When we are talking about a state symbol we would do well to come up with one that is more unifying than divisive and this is a very divisive symbol for obvious reasons,” he told Reuters. “This is just a poor choice for a state symbol.”
4:39 am
Why on earth are you americans so obsessed with your firearms? The more of them in circulation the higher the rate of gun related crime. Freedom issue, I don’t think so. I would suggest that there is no relationship between fire arms ownership and freedom. Is it the freedom that you really want, is to kill another person? Is that even civilised?
As a news item in the UK, it comes under the heading of “look and see what those fools are doing now”.
11:41 am
Colt’s cartridge, Browning’s 1911 design. Your both right.
http://www.browning.com/library/infonews/detail.asp?ID=301
I am a Democrat and I do not see anything wrong with the state taking up the 1911, and its variants, as an official state firearm. John Browning’s contribution to this country is enormous. Even today the 50 cal M2 is still used by our military. The 1911 is a symbol of our nation and its continued oath of loyalty to the security of those freedoms. It is not a symbol of hate or ignorance.
4:13 pm
It’s not a Browning, it’s a Colt 45 M1911.
3:27 am
Also, the original article about this was from the BBC which most European’s are against weapons and the freedom to own one. Consider the source.
3:25 am
What has this have to do with the terrible shooting in Tucson, AZ? Absolutely nothing.
There is nothing wrong with choosing this firearm for the state of Utah since it was designed by a native of Utah. The reason why the libtards don’t like it is because they don’t like guns and gun rights at all. Hey, if you don’t want a gun then you don’t have to have one. Our Founding Fathers created the 2nd Amendment to ensure that citizens of the US would be protected for tyrannical government, such as the one that Obama is trying to create.