S.B. 45, Subject of Kansas Senate Hearing Today, Would Effectively Dismantle State’s Concealed Carry Licensing System, Changing Kansas Law to Allow Some Convicted Felons, Other Dangerous People to Carry Guns in Public
The Kansas Senate will hold a hearing today on S.B. 45, a bill that would effectively dismantle Kansas’s concealed carry licensing 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 license whatsoever.
Among S.B. 45’s most dangerous provisions, the bill would significantly lower the bar for who is allowed under Kansas law to carry a loaded, concealed gun in public – including in K-12 schools, in parks, and on city streets. The bill would change Kansas law to allow some convicted felons, domestic abusers, and people who have had no firearms safety training to carry hidden, loaded guns in public. Further, S.B. 45 would block law enforcement who stop an armed suspect from being able to tell whether he is a dangerous felon or an ordinary citizen – putting officers’ lives at risk and endangering all Kansans.
In advance of today’s hearing, the Kansas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released the following statement:
“As Kansans and parents, we are terribly concerned about dismantling Kansas’s concealed carry licensing system and we ask our lawmakers to stand up against S.B. 45,” said TerriLynn Barnett Miller, a volunteer with the Kansas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Forty six states, including ours, have a licensing system in place because it’s just common sense that felons, domestic abusers, and people who haven’t been adequately trained shouldn’t be able to carry loaded guns around our children. Getting rid of this important safeguard would be a dangerous step in the wrong direction.”
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