Nebraska lawmakers spent Thursday morning debating LB 773, a bill introduced by State Senator Tom Brewer of Gordon.
The bill would authorize concealed carry of weapons without a permit in Nebraska. The crime of carrying a concealed weapon would still exist for persons who are prohibited from possessing dangerous weapons.
Senator Brewer stated, “We here in this body need to answer a question today. Should Nebraska continue to be in the business of dispensing a privilege to people. Something that is already a right. Currently in the State of Nebraska it is legal to open carry. What we are saying is if you put on your coat and cover that firearm, now you are a criminal.”
State Senator John Cavanaugh added an amendment to the bill that would impact those convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in the past. He stated, “That if the Legislature it to decide that something that is no longer criminal, that we should make sure those previously convicted of that crime have a means to have that conviction removed from their record.” That amendment received a lot of support on the Legislative floor.
While there is a lot of support for this legislation, there is also opposition.
State Senator Megan Hunt said, “I support the 2nd Amendment and I think we fall into a trap that has been a recent scourge of division our country that if you don’t support a radical bill like 773, you don’t support gun rights.” Senator Hunt then looked back at history to get her point across.
Hunt stated, “We are living in a very different world in the United States than we were living when the Constitution was written. We have changed the Constitution so many times to better reflect the world we are living in. Think about the types of guns and weapons and self defense tools that the founding fathers had. The framers of the Constitution could not conceive of a gun that could kill at the rate of the weapons we have today.”
State Senator Adam Morfeld supports conceal carry but has issues with LB 773. He says, “We are getting rid of the training requirement, which I think was the most important part of the licensing process And then we are enhancing a bunch of criminal penalties for conceal carry owners and not telling them about it.”
The bill need 33 votes to head off a filibuster. Debate resumes Thursday afternoon.