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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah legislators quietly changed a state law last year in an attempt to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous domestic abusers.
The measure prohibits anyone convicted of domestic violence assault after May 1, 2015, from having a firearm. It covers both misdemeanor and felony assaults.
It follows a nationwide trend. More than a dozen other states have strengthened laws designed to keep firearms from domestic abusers over the past two years. The measures match or exceed the federal prohibitions on the books for decades.
FBI data analyzed by The Associated Press shows a total of 39 people in Utah were killed with guns by their spouses, ex-spouses and dating partners between 2006 and 2014.
Gun-rights advocates don't think sweeping new laws are the answer, pointing to the federal law already in place.
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