Utah loves its guns.

I do, too. if for no other reason than I feel like if I'm ever in a situation where a bad guy with a gun forces his way into my life, we would be on equal ground.

But taking care of my gun is a top priority.

Now I'm not talking about cleaning and oiling the firearm (though those things are important, too). I'm talking about making sure my weapon doesn't fall into the wrong hands -- of a child, of a criminal, of a person who doesn't know how to handle it.

That's why this disturbing trend in Southern Utah has me baffled and a little angry.

The St. George Police Department posted on social media today about a growing problem in our part of the state.

"Firearms are being stolen from vehicles at increasing rates so we wanted to remind you not to leave your firearms in your vehicles and offer a few safety tips to help keep your firearms safe!"

They then posted this chart:

Courtesy SGPD
Courtesy SGPD
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Some other suggestions/ideas:

  • Take note of and safely control the muzzle direction of firearms in vehicles. This is one of the main rules of gun safety and applies to the inside of vehicles as well as any other location
  • Be very careful if you must unload a firearm in the confined space of a vehicle so as not to have an accidental discharge. If your location allows, it is safer and easier to unload the firearm outside the vehicle
  • If you’re concerned about quick access to your firearm, many types of lockable safes allow for extremely fast access of your gun while at the same time helping to prevent unauthorized access
  • Secure the lock box to the vehicle, if possible. Some companies make custom concealed compartments for specific model vehicles
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The Truth Behind 'I'm Just Buzzed' And Other Alcohol Myths

Canva.com
Canva.com
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People who drink alcoholic beverages and then make the decision to drive a motor vehicle will make all kinds of excuses and rationalizations.

They'll say things like "I'm not drunk, just buzzed," or "I just had a little," or "I feel perfectly fine."

So to demystify the effects alcohol has on the average person, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has put out a chart on what happens to someone who imbibes.

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Keep in mind that the blood alcohol legal limit in Utah is .05.

The chart also does not attempt to quantify how many drinks will get you to those BAC plateaus.

There are so many factors that go into figuring that out that most websites and experts defer when asked how many drinks make you legally drunk.

Factors that can affect an individual's BAC include:

  • Sex
  • Weight
  • Drink's alcohol level
  • Drink size
  • Food intake
  • Water/liquid intake
  • Weather
  • Medical conditions
  • Medication
  • Time

Plus, alcoholic drinks are very different when it comes to the amount of alcohol in each one. From the website gorelick-law.com, here are just a couple of the differences:

"When counting drinks to estimate BAC, it is important to understand how different the amount of alcohol can be based on the drink. According to the charts, one drink is equal to .06 ounces of 100% alcohol. This includes:

  • 1 1/2 ounces of 80 proof liquor;
  • 12 ounces of a 5% beer (Utah was 3.2% beer for 86 years, but changed to 5% in 2019)
  • 5 ounces of a 12% wine.

When people are out with friends or having drinks with dinner, it can be difficult to estimate drinks. Sharing a bottle of wine makes it hard to know how many drinks each person had, especially when the drinks keep getting topped off. Going to a brewery and sampling a number of beers may be deceptive as the small tasting glasses could be 4 to 6 ounces and some craft beers or barley wines can be 10% or higher."

Unfortunately, we've seen quite clearly in recent times how deadly and devastating drunk driving can be.

the concept for drink driving
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LOOK: 11 tick-borne illnesses and what to watch out for during your outdoor adventures

Stacker compiled a list of 11 common tick-borne diseases in the U.S. and what symptoms to watch out for, using a variety of medical and government sources. 

Gallery Credit: Martha Sandoval

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