The Kansas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, the grassroots networks of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the Senate passed HB 2058, a bill which would automatically let people with carry permits from other states—including people who would be ineligible for Kansas permits, untrained people, and even some with dangerous histories—carry concealed handguns in public in Kansas. HB 2058 would also allow 18-, 19-, 20- year olds to obtain permits to carry concealed handguns in public, including carrying inside school grounds and on college campuses. The bill was also recently amended in a way that would make it harder to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals. HB 2058 now goes to the Kansas House of Representatives for concurrence where it could pass as early as today and head to the governor’s desk.
“Our country continues to face a gun violence crisis in which 100 people are killed every single day,” said Crystal Hays, Everytown Survivor Fellow, volunteer with the Kansas chapter of Moms Demand Action and gun violence survivor. “But instead of passing common-sense gun safety legislation to prevent gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, Kansas lawmakers are prioritizing a bill to let teenagers and people from out of state carry hidden, loaded handguns in our communities. This is extreme and irresponsible.”
What to know about HB 2058, which would automatically let people with permits from other states carry concealed handguns in Kansas:
- HB 2058 would let people with permits from other states carry concealed handguns into Kansas.
- This bill contains a dangerous gun lobby-backed proposal to automatically allow people with permits from other states to carry hidden, loaded handguns in Kansas communities—even if they would be ineligible for Kansas permits.
- 15 states issue concealed carry permits to teenagers, who are not eligible to carry concealed handguns in public under current Kansas law. Of those states, 10 allow certain convicted stalkers to obtain permits; 9 fail to require live-fire handgun safety training; and 6 issue permits to many violent misdemeanor offenders.
- It would automatically allow people with permits from other states—including teenagers, certain convicted stalkers, and people who have never fired a handgun—to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public throughout Kansas.
- HB 2058 would allow Kansas teenagers to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public.
- Under current Kansas law, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds cannot legally carry hidden, loaded handguns in public. But HB 2058 would allow teenagers to obtain permits to carry concealed handguns throughout the state.
- 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at a rate nearly four times higher than adults 21 and older.
- This bill would allow teenagers to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public, undermining the common sense laws that keep Kansas communities safe when people carry concealed firearms in public.
Statistics about gun violence in Kansas are available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator – which shows how Kansas gun laws compare to those of other states – is available here.