76-10-509.4.  Prohibition of possession of certain weapons by minors.

(1)  An individual who is under 18 years old may not possess a handgun.

Attorney's Note

Under the Utah Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A misdemeanorup to 364 daysup to $2,500
class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $1,000
For details, see Utah Code § 76-3-204

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Terms Used In Utah Code 76-10-509.4

  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Firearm: means a pistol, revolver, shotgun, short barreled shotgun, rifle or short barreled rifle, or a device that could be used as a dangerous weapon from which is expelled a projectile by action of an explosive. See Utah Code 76-10-501
  • Fully automatic weapon: means a firearm which fires, is designed to fire, or can be readily restored to fire, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. See Utah Code 76-10-501
  • Handgun: means a pistol, revolver, or other firearm of any description, loaded or unloaded, from which a shot, bullet, or other missile can be discharged, the length of which, not including any revolving, detachable, or magazine breech, does not exceed 12 inches. See Utah Code 76-10-501
  • Offense: means a violation of any penal statute of this state. See Utah Code 76-1-101.5
  • Possess: means to have physical possession of or to exercise dominion or control over tangible property. See Utah Code 76-1-101.5
  • short barreled rifle: means a shotgun having a barrel or barrels of fewer than 18 inches in length, or in the case of a rifle, having a barrel or barrels of fewer than 16 inches in length, or a dangerous weapon made from a rifle or shotgun by alteration, modification, or otherwise, if the weapon as modified has an overall length of fewer than 26 inches. See Utah Code 76-10-501
  • Shotgun: means a smooth bore firearm designed to fire cartridges containing pellets or a single slug. See Utah Code 76-10-501
(2)  Except as provided by federal law, an individual who is under 18 years old may not possess the following:

(a)  a short barreled rifle;

(b)  a short barreled shotgun;

(c)  a fully automatic weapon; or

(d)  a machinegun firearm attachment.

(3)  An individual who violates Subsection (1) is guilty of:

(a)  a class B misdemeanor upon the first offense; and

(b)  a class A misdemeanor for each subsequent offense.

(4)  An individual who violates Subsection (2) is guilty of a third degree felony.

Amended by Chapter 161, 2023 General Session