LINCOLN — Day Two of the extended debate over a so-called “constitutional carry” handgun bill saw proponents of gun rights on Thursday pushing back on claims that the bill would increase gun-related deaths.
State Sens. Justin Wayne of Omaha and Mike Jacobson of North Platte were among those maintaining that Legislative Bill 77 wouldn’t impact the purchase of guns or the proliferation of firearms in the U.S., but would allow law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional rights. State Sen. Justin Wayne (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)
“This law does not change public safety,” Wayne said, adding that if it did, law enforcement agencies wouldn’t be OK with it.
Jacobson said the answer to stopping school shootings is to “harden the target” so that armed “cowards” can’t force their way in.
“More laws won’t result in less crime,” said Omaha Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn. “Unfortunately.”
LB 77 would allow adults to carry a concealed weapon without a state permit or safety training. Such “permitless” concealed carry is already allowed in 25 other states, including every state bordering Nebraska except Colorado.
While statewide sheriffs’ and peace officers’ groups support the bill, it is opposed by police chiefs in the state’s two largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln, because it would nullify current gun control ordinances there. Police unions in those two cities have said they would be “neutral” on LB 77 if it is amended.
Vote expected Friday
Opponents of the bill dominated Day One of the debate over LB 77 on Wednesday, arguing that expanding gun rights would lead to more guns and an increase in violent crime and suicides. But Day Two found more supporters speaking on the floor during first-round debate. Lawmakers adjourned, amid a filibuster, before getting to a vote on the bill Thursday. That vote is expected to happen Friday morning. State Sen. Jen Day of Gretna. (Craig Chandler/University Communication)
Gretna Sen. Jen Day said Thursday that the United States has a “unique” problem with guns and said LB 77 tends to “normalize” the proliferation of firearms. She lamented that elementary schools now have to conduct “active shooter” drills.
“I don’t want my kids to die at school,” Day said. “They’re there to learn.”
Lincoln Sen. Jane Raybould said firearm suicides have risen by 66% in the past decade among youth, in part because guns are so accessible and aren’t securely stored.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children up to age 19, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Raybould is attempting to attach a bill she introduced to LB 77, a so-called “red flag” law that allows guns to be confiscated, via a judge’s order, if someone is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
‘More guns in more places’
She said police chiefs in Omaha and Lincoln oppose the bill because it weakens their ability to combat gun violence.
“Is now the time to allow people to have more guns in more places?” Raybould said.
She and other opponents of LB 77 maintained that states that have adopted constitutional carry gun laws have higher rates of violent crime.
But one advocate for the bill, Scottsbluff Sen. Brian Hardin, pointed out a study by the National Academies, which concluded that armed victims of crime suffered fewer injuries than unarmed victims.
Wayne, who is biracial, said he supports a portion of LB 77 that would nullify an Omaha ordinance that he said is used by police to disproportionately stop African-American and Latino youths and “bump up” penalties against them.
“They’re not talking about bumping up kids in Bennington or western Nebraska, they’re talking about bumping up kids in North Omaha,” Wayne said.
Jacobson pointed out that it’s already legal to openly carry a handgun in Nebraska, but if you tuck it inside your coat, it becomes a crime.
“That’s all we’re trying to fix with this bill,” Jacobson said.
Other supporters of LB 77 said that it would not change the requirement that Nebraskans obtain a state handgun buyer’s permit, and undergo a criminal background check, before being able to buy a handgun. Thus, they said, the bill would not impact the purchase of guns, only how they can be carried.
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