Utah Legislature Approves J.M. Browning Holiday
The governor’s signature is the only hurdle remaining for a holiday memorializing firearms inventor John Moses Browning. The Utah House voted 64-0 to commemorate the Utah-born inventor on Jan. 24, 2011, the opening day of next year’s legislative session. It will come 100 years after Browning invented the Model 1911 pistol, which became the official sidearm for the U.S. military. Even today, variants of the 1911 pistol are among the most popular handguns sold worldwide, and the 1911 is THE platform of choice for custom raceguns and self-defense pistols.
You have to love Utah’s legislators for voting to recognize J. M. Browning. At a time where states such as California are curtailing the rights of guns owners and demonizing the shooting sports, Utah is doing just the opposite. With this proposed holiday, Utah recognizes the important role Browning and his inventions have played in the history of this nation and the defense of democracy worldwide. We tip our hat to Utah and hope that Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signs the legislation creating John M. Browning Day.
Utah is fast becoming one of my favorite states. There are few people in the history in this country who’ve made as important a contribution towards its defense and ultimate prosperity as John Moses Browning.