Cat Gonzales
Lantern Staff
“Kansans for this age are adults,” Moriah Day, chairman of Kansas Rifle Association – PAC (Political Action Committee), said in a Wichita Eagle article. “They can serve in the military and give their lives for our freedom. They should be trusted to carry a firearm for self-defense.”
The Kansas House of Representatives voted 85-35 to pass House Bill (HB) 2042, which will allow 18-year-olds to conceal and carry a firearm if they have passed a required course. The Kansas Legislature passed the Personal and Family Protection Act in 2006, and since then, over 100,000 Kansas citizens have applied for concealed carry licenses, according to Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
This bill would require Kansans who are between the ages of 18 and 21 to acquire a permit to be able to conceal and carry a firearm. Conceal carry classes in Kansas consist of a background check going through the Sheriff’s Department, eight to 10 hours in a training class, a paper test and qualify in a range inspection with any handgun of your choice. In qualifying in range shooting, one must hit a certain number of shots on the paper targets. Then, the DMV will issue a conceal carry license. Conceal carry classes and the license starting cost is approximately $132.50.
“I think they should allow people to carry, just in case of an emergency,” freshman Destiny Robinson said. “I feel this way because everyone should be able to protect themselves if something should happen.”
Since Monday, Jan. 1, there have been 18 discharges of firearms in or near schools, three of which were mass shootings.
“The simple fact is that the folks who are in that age group, in my judgement, are not old enough to be drinking liquor, they’re not old enough to be drinking beer and probably should not be carrying firearms,” Rep. John Carmichael, a democrat in Wichita, said in a Wichita Eagle article.
The Kansas Board of Regents conducted a survey in 2015 that showed 55 percent of Kansas students wanted the law to change to not allow guns on campus. On July 1, 2017, individuals who are 21 years and older can now conceal carry on college campuses. Across the state, students and staff disagree with this change in law.
“I would not feel safe at WSU (Wichita State) with people wandering around with guns,” Amy Irene, a Wichita State senior, said. “Accidents happen. Guns are fine on the shooting range or at home, but not in a place where thousands of people are every day.”
Although some are concerned, El Dorado’s Chief of Police has a more optimistic opinion.
“I think the right steps are going to have to be put in place just like with the conceal carry,” Kenney said. “We currently have a time to get ready for it and a time to inform everyone with all the forms that Dr. Kim Krull had and (a chance to answer) everyone’s questions. As for the campus police, (we) are definitely going to have to get smarter on campus safety. (We will need to consider) how the customer (a student) thinks, so kind of like how you guys (the Butler Lantern newspaper staff) come and ask questions, we will have to go out and ask questions. We are going to follow the law and enforce the law. But we have to take into consideration the way that the 55 percent thinks.”
On Monday Feb. 5, HB 2042 was introduced to the Kansas Senate, and a hearing was held on Tuesday Feb. 13.
