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Friday, April 27, 2007
Topeka — The Kansas Senate on Friday overrode Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ veto of a bill preventing local governments from imposing additional restrictions on the law that allows licensed Kansans to carrying concealed guns.
The 30-10 vote was three more than the two-thirds majority required. On Thursday, the House voted 98-26 to override, which was 14 more than the required two-thirds majority.
It was the second time in two years a veto by the Democratic governor has been overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature, each time over legislation dealing with concealed guns.
Last year, the Legislature overturned her veto of the bill allowing law-abiding Kansans who meet state requirements to get a four-year permit to carry a concealed gun. Since January, the attorney general’s office has issued some 6,500 permits.
The new bill also would require information — including date of birth, gender and race — be “immediately forwarded” to the FBI when a court finds a person be a danger to themselves or others. It also would prohibit the issuing of permits to those convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
When she vetoed the bill April 13, Sebelius said cited the same safety concerns as Lawrence officials had discussed.
For example, Sebelius said, “concealed weapons currently may be banned at professional and school sporting events. However, this bill would prevent communities from banning them at similar such events at city or county sports fields.
“If it is in the interest of public safety to not have weapons at school-sponsored sporting events, it makes little sense to then prohibit local officials from banning guns at other sporting events, as this bill would propose.”
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