Utah Concealed Carry

A few years ago, I decided to obtain a concealed carry permit. There are several reasons why you might wish to have one yourself. First of all, if you happen to be an active gun trader, and I know you are, and don't have an FFL, you can avoid the BCI fee for your background check. Another may be that when you are asked for ID by an officer of the law, you can readily show that you are not an active felon. But the main reason would be to avoid arrest for behavior that many in this part of the world consider normal, prudent, and a sign of good citizenship--such as having a loaded weapon in your possession. The Utah law has some nice features that might not be true of other states. An important one is the lack of a "duty to conceal." That is, you are not bound to have a weapon concealed at any time. There is no bar other than good manners to "open carry." Another is that although a property owner may ban firearms from his premises and you inadvertently (or not) violate, it is no infraction of the law. A good discussion of this is carried on a forum and is worth taking a peep.

Off Topic

Socrates, in Plato's Allegory of the Cave, illustrates for his pupils his idea of subjective cognizance. To do this, he proposes, briefly, that men in a cave are presented with the shadows of objects on a wall for which they deem is reality. However, when brought into the sunlight and enlightened, so to speak, they perceive the ideal. It is my long held opinion that when these cave dwellers see the shadow of what they can only call "hunting rifle" are presented with perfection, what they see is, of course, a commercial Mauser Model A of pre-WWII vintage, with double set triggers, nice wood and checkering, horn tip and caps, and lightly but tastefully engraved.

The Mauser firm went through an extensive downsizing and reorganization in 1945 which included new management. The physical plants were dramatically reduced in size and most of the assets re-allocated. However, the ideal endured and hunting rifles of the "98" design persist until this very day and are not only made in Germany but also in Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic, and likely in other places. Mauser, the brand name, is now owned by the German firm Blaser, I believe, and they are producing rifles of extraordinary quality. That is what has prompted this post. Mauser, or whoever, has not been idle as evidenced by their model 03. Is this slick, or what?

Dale Rose R.I.P.

Chester Dale Rose 1941 ~ 2007 Dale, as he was known by family and friends, died suddenly of a massive heart attack on Sunday, December 30, 2007. His loving and generous heart finally succumbed to the heart disease which had shadowed him throughout his adult life. Dale was born in Trinidad, Colorado to Robert Lee and Bettie Dixon Rose, the only son and older brother of sisters Dixie and Bonnie. His lifelong passion for the desert southwest was nurtured by a childhood spent on the family ranch near Villegreen, Colorado. He spent many hours hiking, exploring, daydreaming, and hunting in his youth. He graduated from Kim High School in 1959 and subsequently attended Trinidad Community College completing his professional training as a gunsmith. Dale worked as a gunsmith for Weatherby, Browning, and P.O. Ackley. Throughout his life Dale loved to talk about, work on, load shells for, and shoot, guns. His knowledge of guns was encyclopedic. In 1981 Dale was hired as a machinist by the Department of the Army, Tooele Army Depot Rail Shop located on Hill Air Force Base, remaining in this position until his medical retirement in 1997. Dale married Sonya Lloyd on October 5, 1967 and they became the parents of three sons, Robert Adam, Jeffrey Lloyd, and Shane Dale. As the boys grew into men, Dale never hesitated to tell his sons that he loved them and that he was proud of them. Sonya and Dale divorced in 1990 and remained on good terms because they were good people. Dale met Marcia McClurg in 1993 at a Wasatch Mountain Club pot luck. The attraction was mutually intense, persistent, and satisfying so they married on October 12, 1996. Dale introduced Marcia to the hands-on pleasures of the desert southwest and to political nonfiction. Marcia introduced Dale to travel abroad and modern fiction. At home, they read books together, obsessed about politics, the environment, and the Iraq war, and told stories of their separate pasts and of their friends and family. Dale's quick wit, oblique sense of humor, intelligence, kindness, and enthusiastic investment in his friends and family will resonate in our hearts forever. Dale is survived by his wife, Marcia; his sons, Adam, Jeffrey (Jesse), and Shane (Heather); his mother, Bettie; his sister, Bonnie (Walter); his uncle, Jack (Janey); his father in-law, Gerald; his many cousins, including Joella (Bob), and his ex-wife, Sonya. He is also survived by his brother in-law, Walton, and nephews, Will (Laurie) and Mike. Dale was preceded in death by his father, Robert Lee; his sister Dixie; and his mother in-law, Mona. Dale's family will hold a viewing at Holbrook Mortuary, 3251 South 2300 East, on Thursday, January 3, 2007 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. followed by an informal sharing of recollections about Dale and his enrichment of our lives from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. As per his wishes, Dale will be cremated and his ashes returned to the desert southwest landscape he loved so much. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Dale's memory to the Utah Food Bank or to KUED. Online condolences may be sent to: www.holbrookmortuary.com
Published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 1/2/2008.