Utah’s newly elected House leadership responded to the gun violence in Utah and Minnesota last weekend with concern and a need to tone down political rhetoric.
“The onus is on us, all of us, as lawmakers or the press, to do what we can, to debate fiercely things we disagree on, but also bring down the temperature,” House Majority Leader Casey Snider told reporters. “Let’s debate the issues.”
On Saturday, June 14, Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo was fatally shot at Salt Lake City’s “No Kings” protest. A military veteran who was acting as a “safety volunteer” for the protest allegedly fired three rounds at Arturo Gamboa, a man who is accused of brandishing an AR-15-style rifle. One shot from the volunteer’s handgun hit Gamboa, while another inadvertently hit Ah Loo, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Majority Whip Candice Pierucci said Ah Loo’s death was an “absolute tragedy,” and that “Utah mourns with [the] family.”
Utah Speaker of the House Mike Schultz said he doesn’t condone any type of violence, and it's a sad situation. Earlier, in a closed caucus meeting, lawmakers met with Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd, who said there were still few details at this time, Schultz recounted.
“I'm really proud of the way Salt Lake City and the state of Utah came together to make sure that there wasn't violence,” Schultz said. “I'm proud of the organizers of the protests. That was important to them that they didn't have violence. And I’ve really felt like, overall, things were pretty good. There is that one incident, that’s sad.”
The same day as the march downtown, Minnesota’s Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman, and her husband were shot and killed in a targeted attack. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thomas told the Associated Press it was a “political assassination” and a “chilling attack on our democracy.” Minnesota Sen. Jon Hoffman was also shot, but survived.
Schultz said that whenever there is a safety issue, Utah’s Department of Public Safety has bent over backwards to ensure his security.
“I’ve been really proud of our law enforcement,” he said. “They take it seriously.”
Lawmakers aren’t doing this job to make more money, emphasized Pierucci, but to represent their communities.
“I don't think people are aware, but we do get texts and emails that are threatening, and they always have it under control, but I just think we have to get to a place where that isn't as frequent,” Pierucci said.
She echoed how the events in Minnesota underscore a need to step back.
“When I saw the Minnesota story break, I just kept thinking how we have got to find a way to turn down the heat when it comes to politics,” Pierucci said. “And we have to get to a place where we disagree without thinking the other person is evil.”
Not all of Utah’s political leaders have taken this approach.
As news broke of the Minnesota speaker’s death, Sen. Mike Lee posted on X, “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” and “Nightmare on Waltz street,” seemingly referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Since then, Lee has faced public backlash in Utah, nationally and from his colleagues in the Senate for the posts. He has since deleted the messages.
None of Utah’s House majority leadership commented on Lee’s posts, and both Schultz and Snider said they hadn’t seen them.
“It’s a forum, but you’d have to ask the senator what he said and what he meant by that,” Snider said.
In a joint statement over the weekend, Democratic House and Senate members expressed their “shared distress, dismay and sorrow about the act of violence” at the rally.
“As many have stated, violence has no place here,” they continued. “We would argue more strongly, however, that every elected official must actively partake in changing the horrific rhetoric and divisiveness that drives public discourse in our society today.”
Moving forward, Schultz said he wouldn’t speak to what the Legislature will or won’t do based on the weekend’s violence in the Salt Lake Valley.
Utah has few restrictions on open carry, and it’s legal to open carry any firearm, including long guns, as long as they are unloaded.
Twenty-six states have passed laws restricting open carry at state capitols and political demonstrations, including red states like Texas and Arkansas, according to data from gun safety advocacy group Everytown.
“Utah is a very proud Second Amendment state, and you know, finding that balance is what we want to try to do,” Schultz said. “As we enter into the legislative session, and we have more details around what happened, I'm sure some of those conversations will happen.”
