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TOPEKA — People licensed to carry concealed weapons could take their guns into government buildings and state university buildings that don’t have metal detectors and guards at all public entrances under a bill that is poised to advance to the House.
But university police, some students and some local government officials say the proposal would require them to spend heavily on metal detectors and guards in order to maintain a ban on guns on their properties.
Police chiefs from eight colleges, including Wichita State University, said they have practical problems with the proposal, including gun thefts on campus, accidental discharges and what to do when there’s an active shooter.
“In that split second the responding officers have to decide, ‘Is that man in the classroom with a gun in his hand the bad guy or a student with a license to carry a handgun?,’” the chiefs said in their written testimony to the House Federal and State Affairs Committee on Thursday.
Supporters of the bill said that simply posting a sign with a drawing of gun with a red slash mark through it will not stop people with ill-intent from entering any building, and people should have a right to protect themselves.
David Wallis, who served in the Marines for 20 years, said it’s appalling that his government seems to deem him a threat when he goes on a college campus or enters a public building. He said criminals aren’t likely to obey a sign with a drawing of a gun and a red slash mark though it.
“The world is changing,” he said. “It’s more violent. It’s more unpredictable. Putting a sign up does not protect you.”
The proposal comes nearly six years after Kansas approved concealed weapons. Similar proposals have failed in the Statehouse before. But the emotional issue relates to Second Amendment rights. Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita, among others, have chosen to allow licensed carriers to bring weapons into some public buildings.
An example of the emotion played out when Rep. Jim Howell, R-Derby, asked a student from Fort Hays State University if he had sworn to uphold the Constitution. After the student said yes, he told the student it’s a constitutional right for someone to have a weapon to protect their family.
“If we’re going to take it that literally, an 8-year-old has the right to carry a gun and defend themselves too,” returned Tyler A. Thompson, student body president at Fort Hays.
Charles Sexson, director of the conceal carry licensing unit in the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, said he has heard anecdotal evidence that licensed people have used their weapons in self-defense and to prevent crime.
But Sexson said privacy laws and the fact that many people probably don’t report when they’ve defended themselves makes it impossible to accurately quantify how often concealed weapons have proven valuable in self-defense.
Currently, 39,377 Kansans have a license to carry a concealed weapon. That includes 7,923 in Sedgwick County.
Records show that in fiscal year 2011, 39 people had their licenses suspended. That includes seven who were involved in an aggravated assault with a firearm. Five people had their licenses revoked for carrying a weapon while they had more than .08 percent alcohol in their blood or breath.
Lawmakers on the committee appear likely to support the bill, but it probably will be tweaked to include some measures to compromise with opponents, said Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Bel Aire.
“I think we had a thoughtful, considerate debate on an emotional topic,” he said.
