An amended bill will soon be on the Kansas congress voting floor. Originally, the bill just prohibited local governments from making gun laws. Lawmakers found ridiculous that a gun owner could not drive straight through the state without being subject to several different gun ordinances.
The bill was amended to allow gun owners to carry their guns in the car regardless of a concealed weapon permit. Citizens are allowed to have loaded handguns in their homes to protect themselves and the amendment essentially allows people to carry a loaded gun in their car under the same rationale.
Current laws force gun owners to carry unloaded weapons in a locked glove-box; promoters of the bill believe all these steps put the driver at a significant disadvantage if they are faced with an emergency.
Even though no one opposed the bill at its initial reading in the Federal and State Affairs Committee, some democrats vehemently opposed the bill after the hearing. One representative expressed fear over the effect of allowing people without concealed weapons permits to drive around with a loaded gun. She believes it is tantamount to giving people a license to kill.
When the representative was questioned about why she did not openly object she stated that she didn’t feel that opposing the bill at this stage is futile. The bill is slated for a vote in the next legislative session where she intends to voice her opinion.
The bill, titled HB2473, also extends Kansas’ current concealed weapons law. Currently, felons that used a firearm in the commission of their crime were excluded from getting a permit. This new bill will restrict all violent felons regardless of the weapon they used. Intoxication will also void the right. The bill’s promoter believes it has a good chance of passing because he took suggestions from democrats as well as republican congressmen and women.
Source: The Whicita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article1134208.html