Alexandra Anderson, a 26-year-old mother of two young children, never considered getting a concealed carry permit until last spring, when unrest and violence dominated news headlines and made her feel uneasy. Her fears began when Ogden police officer Nate Lyday was killed in the line of duty on May 28. “I have a lot of law enforcement friends and so that hit pretty hard,” Anderson explained through tears at her kitchen table in Layton. Two days later, what began as peaceful protests in downtown Salt Lake City calling for justice in the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, turned violent. A Salt Lake City police car was overturned and set on fire. “It makes me emotional because you know, it’s just people that put their lives out there to protect us,” Anderson cried. “It’s hard when things do get out of hand on both sides. But, at the end of the day, we’re all people and there’s no need to bring that violence.” That was her tipping point. Although her husband has had his permit for years, the young mother decided to enroll in a concealed carry course. She completed it in July. “We’re not always going to be together. You just never know,” she explained. “I would do anything for my babies.” Stephanie Barrick felt motivated to purchase her first firearm after noticing more crime in her West Jordan neighborhood. “Unfortunately, that couple that was killed was just a few blocks from here,” Barrick said, referring to the murder of 31-year-old Tony Butterfield and his wife, Katherine, 30, on April 18. “I never thought about getting one until one of the last times we were robbed, and they dropped their gun in our driveway,” she added.  [full article]