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Everytown, Kansas Moms Demand Action Release Poll That Shows 78 Percent of Kansans Believe Concealed Handgun Carriers Should Be Required to Have a Permit

March 16, 2015

Overwhelming Majority of Kansans Oppose Effort to Dismantle State’s Concealed Carry Permitting System

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Kansas Moms Demand Action today released a new poll showing the overwhelming majority of Kansans believe people should be required to have a permit in order to carry concealed handguns in public places.

The poll comes as the Kansas House of Representatives is debating S.B. 45, a bill passed by the Senate last month that would effectively dismantle Kansas’s concealed carry permitting system. If S.B. 45 becomes law, Kansas would become one of only five states to allow people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public places without any permit whatsoever.

Among the poll’s findings:

  • Seventy-eight percent of Kansans want those who carry a concealed weapon in public to be required to have a state-issued permit.
  • Ninety-eight percent of Kansas households in which someone has a concealed carry permit support the permit requirement for carrying concealed handguns.
  • Fifty-three percent of Kansans would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the proposal to dismantle the concealed carry permitting system, compared to just 18 percent of Kansans who would be more likely to support that candidate.

“The poll shows that Kansans believe it’s just common sense that anyone carrying a concealed gun around in public should have basic safety training and a permit,” said TerriLynn Barnett Miller, a volunteer with the Kansas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “With rights come responsibilities, and that means passing a criminal background check, completing basic handgun safety training, and obtaining a concealed carry permit. That’s responsible gun ownership.”

“There is a reason that 98 percent of Kansas households in which someone has a concealed carry permit support that basic requirement,” said Michelle Reed, a volunteer with the Kansas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Permit-holders know it’s a simple but effective safeguard to require those who carry guns on Kansas streets to complete basic handgun safety training and obtain a permit. That’s why Kansas is one of 46 states with that requirement. Let’s not join that lonely list of four states that have abandoned this important public safety measure.”

About Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 2.5 million supporters and more than 40,000 donors including moms, mayors, survivors, and everyday Americans who are fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and help save lives. At the core of Everytown are Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a grassroots movement of American mothers founded the day after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Learn more at www.everytown.org and follow us @Everytown

About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. Since its inception after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 2.5 million members and more than 40,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand

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