States usually have an official state bird or flower, the good ol’ state of Utah has an official state firearm. Yeah, firearm! And it’s non other than the 1911 handgun. The 1911 was designed by innovative gun maker John Moses Browning 100 years ago and the 1911 is still going strong. Used by police and militaries around the world to this day, the 1911 is perhaps the most recognizable handgun of all time. The Utah House voted 51-19 to make the 1911 the state firearm in honor to John Browning, who was born in Utah back in 1855.
Of course house Democrats (and a few Republicans) questioned the bill that made Utah the first state in the United States to name an official state firearm. Some thought the designation of a state firearm as insensitive after the tragic shootings in Arizona recently. But for all the bad press guns have had lately, it was firearms like the 1911 that helped win world wars and bring peace to our nation.
