Kansas – Last week the Kansas House of Representatives passed two gun bills out of the Committee of the Whole. During session this morning, the House took Final Action on those bills, passing both and sending them to the Senate.
If you got our alert, you’re already familiar with what each bill covered, and what our position was on each.
House Bill 2145 had little debate, and passed the House by a wide margin on a voice vote yesterday. No damaging amendments were added to this bill. We will update you if we learn that the Senate is likely to try to amend the bill in any way next week.
House Bill 2042 is a different story.
Our friends in the House were able to soundly defeat a dangerous amendment by Rep. Barbara Ballard which would have completely prohibited the carrying of firearms on campus for self-defense.
This was simply an outrageous attempt to limit law-abiding gun owners from exercising their rights.
Our campus carry law has worked flawlessly. Since implementation, there have been zero incidents that should cause anyone to believe the outrageous claims of angry professors that there would be blood in the streets and people dying on every street corner. It’s just not true. Campuses are safer because adults are allowed to defend themselves more effectively today than they could a year ago.
There is absolutely no reason to believe the anti-gun hype and take away the rights of responsible, law-abiding adults to carry on campus.
After defeating the dangerous Ballard amendment yesterday, another amendment was offered by Rep. Clay Aurand to prohibit individuals from carrying a firearm on campus without first obtaining a concealed carry permit.
While some think this is a valid compromise, that’s not the case. Rest assured, the radical anti-gun lobby in the Capitol would not have been cheering yesterday unless they agreed that the Aurand amendment is an additional restriction on our right to keep and bear arms.
It is crucial that the Senate remove the dangerous Aurand amendment when they have the opportunity to do so.
Please email your state Senator and strongly urge them to REMOVE the Aurand amendment from House Bill 2042.
If you remember, Governor Sam Brownback signed Kansas’s Constitutional Carry law into effect in 2015, allowing law-abiding Kansans who were 21 or older to carry a firearm for self-defense without a requirement to obtain a permit.
House Bill 2042’s underlying language seeks to recognize all out-of-state concealed carry permits, and would allow anyone who has a license to carry a firearm to do so lawfully in Kansas.
In a big win for Kansas gun owners, HB 2042 was amended by Rep. Brenda Landwehr on the floor yesterday to allow adults between 18 and 21 to apply for a Kansas concealed carry permit.
You can read more about that change in this Wichita Eagle article.
Please email your state Senator and strongly urge them to support House Bill 2042 WITHOUT the Aurand amendment. Remind them that you are a member of the Kansas State Rifle Association, and that you oppose any move to restrict our constitutional carry rights in Kansas.
Email Representative Clay Aurand and Respectfully tell him Kansas gun owners don’t need new restrictions on our rights to keep and bear arms:
House Roll Call Vote on Aurand Amendment:
(The KSRA Urged a NO VOTE.)
Yes – (70):
Alcala, Alford, Aurand, Baker, Ballard, Becker, Bishop, Brim, Burroughs, Campbell, Carlin, Carmichael, Clayton, Concannon, Cox, Crum, Curtis, Deere, Dierks, Elliott, Eplee, Finney, Frownfelter, Gallagher, Gartner, Good, Helgerson, Henderson, Hibbard, Highberger, Hodge, Holscher, Horn, Jennings, Johnson, Karleskint, Kelly, Kessinger, Koesten, Kuether, Lusk, Lusker, Markley, Miller, Murnan, Neighbor, Ohaebosim, Ousley, Parker, Phelps, Phillips, Pittman, Probst, Proehl, Rafie, Rooker, Ruiz, Sawyer, Schreiber, Seiwert, Sloan, Stogsdill, Swanson, Trimmer, Victors, Ward, Weigel, Whipple, Winn, Wolfe Moore,
No – (52):
Arnberger, Awerkamp, Barker, Bergquist, Blex, Burris, Carpenter, Claeys, Clark, Corbet, Delperdang, Dietrich, Dove, Ellis, Esau, Finch, Francis, Garber, Hawkins, Highland, Hineman, Hoffman, Houser, Huebert, Humphries, Jacobs, Jones, Judd-Jenkins, Landwehr, Lewis, Mason, Mastroni, Orr, Patton, Powell, Rahjes, Ralph, Resman, Ryckman, Schroeder, Schwab, A. Smith, E. Smith, Sutton, Tarwater, Thimesch, Thompson, Vickrey, Waymaster, Wheeler, Whitmer, Williams,
Absent and Not Voting – (3):
Davis, Osterman, Weber,
Bill Tracker
HB 2042
Concealed carry licensure amendments under the personal and family protection act.
Bill Sponsor: House Federal and State Affairs Committee
Current Status: Transferring to the Senate for debate and action.
Last Action: 2/2/2018 – House Passed Amended Bill on Final Action
KSRA Reference Title: Attorney General’s Reciprocity Bill
KSRA Position: Support. Votes on amendments will be graded.
HB 2145
Prohibiting the possession of a firearm by certain individuals.
Bill Sponsor: House Federal and State Affairs Committee
Current Status: Transferring to the Senate for debate and action.
Last Action: 2/2/2018 – House Passed Bill on Final Action
KSRA Reference Title: Ed Klumpp/Kansas Peace Officers Association Federal Law Mirror
KSRA Position: Testified Neutral on original bill. Votes on amendments will be graded.
HB 2220
Prohibiting certain regulations concerning the carrying of concealed handguns at postsecondary educational institutions.
Bill Sponsor: House Federal and State Affairs Committee
Current Status: In House Federal and State Affairs
Last Action: 3/9/2017 – Hearing in House Federal and State Affairs
KSRA Reference Title: Manner of Carry Preemption
KSRA Position: Support
HB 2442
Prohibiting the possession of bump stocks, or similar devices or attachments for semiautomatic firearms
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Vic Miller, D-58
Current Status: In House Federal and State Affairs
Last Action: 1/8/2018 – House Introduced; referred to Federal and State Affairs
KSRA Reference Title: Firearm Accessory/Bump Stock Ban
KSRA Position: Oppose
HB 2443
Creating the crime of unlawful abandonment of a firearm
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger, D-46
Current Status: In House Federal and State Affairs
Last Action: 1/8/2018 – House Introduced; referred to Federal and State Affairs
KSRA Reference Title: Abandoned Firearms
KSRA Position: Oppose
HB 2460
Firearm safety education programs in public schools
Bill Sponsor: House Federal and State Affairs Committee
Current Status: In House Federal and State Affairs
Last Action: 1/12/2018 – House Referred to Federal and State Affairs
KSRA Reference Title: Eddie Eagle Safety Training
KSRA Position: Support
SB 121
Enacting the Kansas protection of firearms rights act.
Bill Sponsor: Senate Judiciary Committee
Current Status: Below the Line on General Orders in the Senate
Last Action: 3/27/2017 – Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee Recommended Bill be Passed
KSRA Reference Title: Expungement Fix
KSRA Position: Support
It’s time to start taking action. Your Senators need to hear from you.
About Kansas State Rifle Association:
The Kansas State Rifle Association has one purpose. To promote and strive for the improvement and protection of the firearms and sport shooting industry and protection of second amendment principals by encouraging and stimulating well-qualified individual citizens to run for public office and to take a more active and effective part in governmental affairs. Visit: www.ksraweb.net
Kansas Constitutional Carry applies to anyone who is not a “prohibited person” 21 or older, whether resident or not. Kansas already honors all out of state CC licenses.
Kansas has college campus carry now, it is all a sham by the liberal “moderate” republicans and the democrats to restrict what we already have.
What Kansas needs are armed school teachers and staff in all public and private schools for those teachers who want to be armed.
Federal law needs to amend 18-922(q) so that lawful defense is not criminal as it is now and reciprocity as provide by HR 38.