{"id":2584721,"date":"2026-03-27T20:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T00:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utahs-republican-governor-signs-bill-protecting-gunmakers-from-frivolous-lawsuits\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T20:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T00:48:46","slug":"utahs-republican-governor-signs-bill-protecting-gunmakers-from-frivolous-lawsuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utahs-republican-governor-signs-bill-protecting-gunmakers-from-frivolous-lawsuits\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah&#8217;s Republican Governor Signs Bill Protecting Gunmakers from Frivolous Lawsuits"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futahs-republican-governor-signs-bill-protecting-gunmakers-from-frivolous-lawsuits%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584721&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed House Bill 214 into law, strengthening liability protections for firearm manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations by barring civil suits against them for the criminal misuse of lawful products. The measure also prevents local governments from passing laws that would allow such lawsuits. The NRA praised the bill, saying it preserves the rule of law and the rights of law-abiding citizens, and notes that it aligns with Utah\u2019s broader efforts to protect gun industry interests. The legislation follows Cox\u2019s earlier signing of House Bill 314, which reduced administrative burdens for lawful firearms dealers.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters, including Nephi Cole of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, emphasized that the bill safeguards manufacturers from \u201cjunk lawsuits\u201d while clarifying accountability for criminal misuse. Rep.Jordan Teuscher, the bill\u2019s sponsor, said manufacturers should be liable for harms they directly cause, but not for crimes committed with legally manufactured weapons by others. The bill is part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-want-evers-to-opt-into-federal-school-choice-tax-credit\/\" title=\"...ublicans want Evers to opt into federal school choice tax credit\">wider national discussion<\/a>, with Kentucky considering a similar proposal. HB 214 has passed the Utah House and is under consideration by the state Senate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Utah is standing behind America&rsquo;s gun manufacturers.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed House Bill 214 into law, as noted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20260326\/utah-governor-cox-signs-pro-gun-legislation-into-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NRA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The bill &ldquo;strengthens liability protections for firearm manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations by ensuring they cannot be held liable for the criminal misuse of lawful products,&rdquo; the NRA wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The bill&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/le.utah.gov\/Session\/2026\/bills\/static\/HB0214.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">language<\/a> ensures that local governments within the state cannot pass legislation allowing lawsuits against gun makers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;House Bill 214 represents a clear commitment to preserving the rule of law and protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens,&rdquo; the NRA said.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The NRA noted that Cox had earlier signed House Bill 314 that shot down a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >duplicative state paperwork requirement<\/a> to reduce the administrative burden that faced lawful firearms dealers.<\/p>\n<p>Nephi Cole, director of government relations for state affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, praised Cox and Utah legislators who supported the bill, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nssf.org\/articles\/nssf-praises-utahs-gov-cox-for-signing-firearms-liabilities-amendments-into-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Senate Judiciary Committee considers civil liability protections for gun manufacturers, tougher penalties for stalking, recording of grand jury proceedings and more. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bF4d3u2qCJ\">https:\/\/t.co\/bF4d3u2qCJ<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fK3YIrmwE4\">pic.twitter.com\/fK3YIrmwE4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; KET Public Affairs (@PubAffairsKET) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PubAffairsKET\/status\/2037545671029317831?\">March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Utah is leading the nation in adding protections for members of the firearm and ammunition industry from activists who engage in lawfare to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-democrats-are-using-violent-crime-as-an-excuse-for-gun-grabbing\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Democrats Are Using Violent Crime As An Excuse For ...-Grabbing\">enact gun control measures<\/a> through frivolous litigation,&rdquo; Cole said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Utah lawmakers recognized that malevolent actors have ignored the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to bring frivolous lawsuits against members of the firearm and ammunition industry for the criminal misuse of lawfully sold firearms.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With Governor Cox&rsquo;s signature, Utah is making clear that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tighter-background-check-legislation-burdens-law-abiding-citizens-wont-reduce-crime-expert\/\" title=\"Tighter Background Check ... Burdens ..., Won\u2019t Reduce Crime: Expert\">gun control advocates<\/a> will not be allowed to launch junk lawsuits against the firearm industry in Utah,&rdquo; the statement added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">If suppose an individual A shoots himself w a Gun, would you blame the Manufacturers for creating such weapons?<\/p>\n<p>Or if someone Jumps off the cliff, would you blame the God for creating the Gravity?<\/p>\n<p>Accountability?<\/p>\n<p>iq leaves the chat whenever a Liberal joins the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Human (@21ca_bbageee) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/21ca_bbageee\/status\/2037643952720113731?\">March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Utah state Rep. Jordan Teuscher, the sponsor of the bill, said that &ldquo;firearm manufacturers should be liable for things that they are directly causing,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc4.com\/news\/politics\/multiple-firearm-related-bills-advance-during-utah-legislature-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KTVX-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;However, if they manufacture a weapon and someone goes out and uses it and commits a crime, ultimately, they shouldn&rsquo;t be the ones that are responsible for that and that&rsquo;s what this bill clears up,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>A similar bill is under consideration in Kentucky, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/kentuckylantern.com\/2026\/03\/17\/kentucky-house-advances-bill-protecting-gun-industry-from-lawsuits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kentucky Lantern<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky state Rep. TJ Roberts, the bill sponsor, told fellow lawmakers that &ldquo;criminals should be held liable for their actions &mdash; not manufacturers, not sellers who had no clue that someone was going to act that way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Whenever it comes to someone who followed the law and sold a firearm and it is later used in a crime, the criminal is the person who should be held accountable,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;We have to ensure that our constitutional rights are protected from extralegal efforts to suppress these basic rights.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The bill passed the state House and is being considered by the state Senate.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed House Bill 214, which adds civil-liability protections for firearm manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations by ensuring they cannot be sued for the criminal misuse of lawful firearms. The bill also bars local Utah governments from passing laws that would allow such lawsuits against gun makers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The National Rifle Association called the measure a clear commitment to the rule of law and to the rights of law-abiding citizens. The NRA noted that the law prevents activists from pressuring gun makers through frivolous lawsuits.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Supporters, including Nephi Cole from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, praised Cox and Utah lawmakers for protecting the firearm industry from \u201clawfare\u201d and for preserving protections similar to the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. They argue that manufacturers should not be held liable when someone uses a legally sold gun to commit a crime.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; House Bill 314, signed earlier by Cox, was cited as another move to reduce bureaucratic burdens on lawful firearms dealers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A similar measure is under consideration in Kentucky, where proponents say criminals should be responsible for their own actions, not manufacturers or sellers who complied with the law. Utah lawmakers like Rep. Jordan Teuscher and Rep. TJ Roberts emphasized that manufacturers should be liable only for direct wrongdoing they cause, not for crimes committed by others using their products.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In short, the Utah bill aims to shield gun makers from certain lawsuits while preserving legitimate rights and accountability for serious wrongdoing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2584722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-27T192912.527.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[76699,76698,13693,72865,5764],"class_list":["post-2584721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-frivolous-lawsuits","tag-gun-laws-2","tag-gunmakers","tag-state-politics-2","tag-utah"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-27T192912.527.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584721"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584725,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584721\/revisions\/2584725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}