It looks more like a tennis match than government.The Utah State Senate and the House of Representatives cannot agree on the wording of Senator Waddoups’ Senate Bill 48 to prohibit the University of Utah from restricting guns on campus. Although Waddoups has repeatedly said in committee meetings and on the Senate floor that the bill is only intended to apply to the U, its wording would prohibit the restriction of guns on private property.

Sen. Gregory Bell, R-Fruit Heights, proposed to take out the controversial language on Feb. 6. Then, after more confusion, he proposed another amendment which would add words to clarify that nothing in the bill would prohibit an individual from restricting guns on private property.

The bill was then sent to the House of Representatives where it was discussed in a committee and changed on Feb. 19 to be more vague in only saying that private property rights would not be restricted by this law. The change was in line with Waddoups’ original intentions for the bill. But on Feb. 25, Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, succeeded in changing the wording back to the way it was when it left the Senate. But when the bill was returned to the Senate, they removed Allen’s amendment and sent it back to the House. The House refused to change what they had amended and on Feb. 27 sent it back to the Senate. That same day the Senate sent it back to the House where it awaits further debate.

Andrew Kirk