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Kansas Lawmakers Debate Bill For Disarming Domestic Abusers

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flickr Creative Commons

Kansas legislators are debating a bill designed to keep guns out of the hands of fugitives and domestic abusers and could consider other gun issues.

The Senate planned to take a final vote Thursday on the measure. The bill would make it a felony under state law for anyone convicted of domestic violence to possess a firearm within five years of conviction. It would also be illegal for fugitives to possess guns.

But senators expected to take up other gun proposals as well during their debate.

It already is a crime under federal law for domestic abusers to have guns. But supporters of the bill say federal courts and prosecutors are often too busy to handle such cases and a separate state law would allow prosecutions in state courts.

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