LINCOLN, Neb.—What state lawmakers have criticized as a patchwork of concealed-carry gun laws in Nebraska is quickly morphing into blanket conformity with a state law passed three years ago.
An Associated Press review of local laws shows that just four cities now prohibit residents with state-issued permits from carrying concealed weapons. That’s down from roughly a dozen as recently as a few months ago.
A primary reason for the decrease: The likelihood that the Legislature will soon pass a bill (LB430) forcing every city to allow people with state-issued permits to carry concealed weapons.
Backers of the bill, including introducer Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial, say it should have been unnecessary because the 2006 law allowing non-felons to get conceal-carry permits was meant to be evenly applied across the state.
Attorney General Jon Bruning’s office agreed in January, issuing an opinion that cities aren’t allowed to trump state law and ban the carrying of concealed weapons. That opinion, combined with Christensen’s bill, have some cities waving a white flag.
On Monday night alone, city councils in Beatrice and Norfolk ditched their bans on carrying concealed handguns.
While the bill (LB430) pending in the Legislature was one reason the Norfolk City Council changed its law, “we had pressure from people who had gotten permits and said ‘I got a permit, why can I carry a gun across the state but not in Norfolk?'” said Norfolk City Councilman Ivan Van Dyke.
State lawmakers were scheduled on Tuesday to take a second-round vote on the bill, but held off so they could work on an amendment.
As currently written, it would prohibit people who have committed serious misdemeanors—such as domestic assault, resisting arrest and debauching a minor—from getting a conceal-carry permit.
If left unchanged, the amendment could create a showdown in the Legislature. Christensen is opposed to adding some of the misdemeanors, saying that doing so could prevent people who are guilty only of youthful indiscretions—a 21-year-old giving alcohol to a 19-year-old, for example—from getting permits.
Some city officials are wincing as they decide to go along with the state law, saying they are being pushed to give up local control clearly afforded in the 2006 conceal-carry law.
“The attorney general puts out an opinion contrary to what we believe the legislative intent was,” in 2006, said Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang, “and it really creates a conflict.
“I think the intent was to allow cities to opt out. It makes enforcement a difficult thing,” Lang said.
Other cities, including Wayne, have bans against carrying concealed weapons but aren’t enforcing them anymore.
And in at least one city, disagreement over what to do with a local ban has become a sticky enough political issue that the mayor doesn’t want to talk about.
“I don’t have any comment on this,” said Columbus Mayor Mike Moser. In 2007, he vetoed a measure passed by the Columbus City Council that would have allowed permit-holders to carry concealed handguns. But on Tuesday Moser told The Associated Press he had never vetoed such a measure. He later changed his story when a reporter asked about reports of the veto.
Columbus is one of the four cities that still has a ban, along with Hastings, Holdrege and Seward.
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