During an official, one-time-only holiday honoring legendary Utah gun-maker John Moses Browning, a House committee voted 9-2 on Monday to endorse a bill to declare his M1911 handgun as the official Utah State Firearm.

But an anti-violence advocate told the Legislature that sends the wrong message about Utah to the world.

“Semiautomatic pistols are the weapons of choice for those who are committing massacres” such as the recent shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and others in Tucson, testified Steven Gunn, a board member of the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah. “Is this the time to adopt as a symbol of the state the same kind of weapon used to kill all these people?”

Only Democratic Reps. Jennifer Seelig, Salt Lake City, and Marie Poulson, Cottonwood Heights, opposed the bill in the House Political Subdivisions Committee. Seelig said that especially because Utah would be the first state to adopt an official state firearm, “In terms of what we want to be known for, no, I’m not voting for this.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, however said he does not view the gun as a symbol or implement of death.

“It’s an implement of freedom that has defended America for 100 years. … This firearm is Utah.”

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