Mikee Loxxer
Member
Concealed-carry plans emerge
BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star
Short of banning concealed weapons in Lincoln, Mayor Coleen Seng and several City Council members will propose reducing the number of people who can carry them.
The Lincoln City Council decided early this week not to ban concealed handguns in Lincoln.
But Seng and some council members still want to limit the number of people who can carry guns in the city limits.
If they prevail, some people would be able to get state concealed carry permits, but they could not legally possess that gun in Lincoln.
City Councilman Ken Svoboda said Wednesday he has been working on a city ordinance that would expand the list of people who could not possess guns in Lincoln.
The mayor, Councilmen Jonathan Cook and Dan Marvin and Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady have also been crafting legislation on the subject, which they unveiled Wednesday afternoon.
On Monday, the council voted 5-2 to kill a proposed concealed weapon ban in Lincoln. The surprise vote eliminated a public hearing and denied the public and city officials the ability to express their opinions on guns and the proposed city ordinance.
At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Seng said a proposal will be presented to the council on Monday addressing the types of crimes that would prevent a person from possessing a firearm in Lincoln.
A state law to go into effect Jan. 1 would allow Nebraska residents to get $100 permits to carry concealed weapons. They must first complete firearms training and be cleared by Nebraska State Patrol background checks.
The state law says people convicted of a felony or violent crimes, found in the previous 10 years to be mentally ill or dangerous or judged mentally incompetent, cannot get the concealed carry permits.
Specifically, those with convictions in the past 10 years relating to firearms, unlawful use of a weapon or controlled substances can’t get permits.
The state law deals with who can get a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
The city ordinances deal with who can possess a firearm within the city limits.
Three years ago the city council made it unlawful for anyone convicted of a list of violent or serious misdemeanor crimes to possess a firearm in the city.
Those crimes included stalking, violation of a protection order, third-degree sexual assault, resisting arrest, obstructing government operations, concealing a death and others.
The proposal from the mayor’s office would expand that list to include assaults, making menacing threats, contributing to the delinquency of a child, public indecency and second-offense driving under the influence.
That means some people who could get permits to carry a concealed handgun could not possess guns in Lincoln — concealed or not, explained City Attorney Dana Roper.
It would likely be enforced the same way marijuana laws are enforced, he said. If you are caught with marijuana in your pocket you are charged.
Casady said the ordinance would address his most significant concern with the state’s new law: loopholes for people convicted of serious misdemeanor crimes. While council members may have questions about some of the crimes on the list, he believes it’s a good start.
It would be frightening to think of people carrying concealed weapons who have been convicted of some of the crimes he has come across in his research of statutes and municipal codes, he said.
Svoboda said Wednesday morning he, too, had been crafting an ordinance to introduce in case the concealed weapons ban failed. His list included stalking, violating a protection order, impersonating a peace officer, indecent exposure and driving under the influence offenses.
Councilman Cook addressed another proposed ordinance at the press conference that would ban concealed weapons in public buildings.
“We need to make sure that when people come into a public building, they have some feeling they are protected,” he said.
The state law lists places where concealed guns are banned, including police stations, jails, government meetings, schools, college athletic events, places of worship or hospital emergency rooms.
The proposed ordinance would extend that ban to all buildings owned or leased by county or city government.
Seng said she believes council members and the mayor’s office could work together to get an ordinance passed.
BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star
Short of banning concealed weapons in Lincoln, Mayor Coleen Seng and several City Council members will propose reducing the number of people who can carry them.
The Lincoln City Council decided early this week not to ban concealed handguns in Lincoln.
But Seng and some council members still want to limit the number of people who can carry guns in the city limits.
If they prevail, some people would be able to get state concealed carry permits, but they could not legally possess that gun in Lincoln.
City Councilman Ken Svoboda said Wednesday he has been working on a city ordinance that would expand the list of people who could not possess guns in Lincoln.
The mayor, Councilmen Jonathan Cook and Dan Marvin and Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady have also been crafting legislation on the subject, which they unveiled Wednesday afternoon.
On Monday, the council voted 5-2 to kill a proposed concealed weapon ban in Lincoln. The surprise vote eliminated a public hearing and denied the public and city officials the ability to express their opinions on guns and the proposed city ordinance.
At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Seng said a proposal will be presented to the council on Monday addressing the types of crimes that would prevent a person from possessing a firearm in Lincoln.
A state law to go into effect Jan. 1 would allow Nebraska residents to get $100 permits to carry concealed weapons. They must first complete firearms training and be cleared by Nebraska State Patrol background checks.
The state law says people convicted of a felony or violent crimes, found in the previous 10 years to be mentally ill or dangerous or judged mentally incompetent, cannot get the concealed carry permits.
Specifically, those with convictions in the past 10 years relating to firearms, unlawful use of a weapon or controlled substances can’t get permits.
The state law deals with who can get a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
The city ordinances deal with who can possess a firearm within the city limits.
Three years ago the city council made it unlawful for anyone convicted of a list of violent or serious misdemeanor crimes to possess a firearm in the city.
Those crimes included stalking, violation of a protection order, third-degree sexual assault, resisting arrest, obstructing government operations, concealing a death and others.
The proposal from the mayor’s office would expand that list to include assaults, making menacing threats, contributing to the delinquency of a child, public indecency and second-offense driving under the influence.
That means some people who could get permits to carry a concealed handgun could not possess guns in Lincoln — concealed or not, explained City Attorney Dana Roper.
It would likely be enforced the same way marijuana laws are enforced, he said. If you are caught with marijuana in your pocket you are charged.
Casady said the ordinance would address his most significant concern with the state’s new law: loopholes for people convicted of serious misdemeanor crimes. While council members may have questions about some of the crimes on the list, he believes it’s a good start.
It would be frightening to think of people carrying concealed weapons who have been convicted of some of the crimes he has come across in his research of statutes and municipal codes, he said.
Svoboda said Wednesday morning he, too, had been crafting an ordinance to introduce in case the concealed weapons ban failed. His list included stalking, violating a protection order, impersonating a peace officer, indecent exposure and driving under the influence offenses.
Councilman Cook addressed another proposed ordinance at the press conference that would ban concealed weapons in public buildings.
“We need to make sure that when people come into a public building, they have some feeling they are protected,” he said.
The state law lists places where concealed guns are banned, including police stations, jails, government meetings, schools, college athletic events, places of worship or hospital emergency rooms.
The proposed ordinance would extend that ban to all buildings owned or leased by county or city government.
Seng said she believes council members and the mayor’s office could work together to get an ordinance passed.
