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UPDATE: Bill Expanding Concealed Carry Heads To Governors Desk

Auraelius, flickr Creative Commons

Update from AP: 

A proposal to allow Kansas residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit has won final approval from the Legislature.

The measure was headed to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback despite some lawmakers' misgivings about the state dropping its requirement that anyone seeking to carry a concealed firearm undergo at least eight hours of training.

Brownback's office didn't say what his plans are, but he's signed every other major gun-rights measure sent to him since taking office in January 2011.

Original Story:

The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill that would allow most Kansans over age 21 to carry a concealed gun without a permit. Current law requires training and a background check before a person can carry concealed.

Republican Representative Steven Becker says the current concealed carry program shows removing the license requirement can work. He says the success of the current program is not because of a training class and shooting test.

“I suggest to you that we can attribute it to responsible Kansas citizens who know what guns are about,” says Becker.

But Republican Representative Mike Kiegerl has concerns about removing the background check and training.

“Concealed carry should be something you earn, something that requires some effort to get, to show that you’re responsible,” says Kiegerl.

The House voted 85-39 in favor of the bill. A similar version has already passed the Kansas Senate. The two chambers will now work to eliminate differences between the bills.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.