By Austin Fisher
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA — Lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would allow public employees to carry concealed handguns while on the job outside of their offices.
Senate Bill 65 would amend the concealed carry law to prohibit public employers from restricting their employees from carrying concealed handguns in or out of office buildings, or in company- or privately-owned vehicles. The bill defines public employers as any state, county, or city agency that employs one or more people.
Testifying in favor of the bill in front of the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee, Sen. Forrest Knox (R-Altoona) said public employees should be trusted to provide their own security.
“The logic is that we should not deny the right of somebody to provide for their own security unless we’re providing that security and you’re pretty hard-pressed to provide that for state, county, and city employees while they’re out on the job,” Knox said.
Patricia Stoneking, president of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said the problem is that some municipal employers allow their staffs to carry concealed weapons in the office but impose policies prohibiting concealed carry in public or while driving.
“We’re only asking to extend to public employees what has already been extended to private employees in the private sector,” Stoneking said.
At the end of Stoneking’s testimony, Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-Wichita) asked Knox for his thoughts on the motivation behind the legislation.
Knox replied, “It’s always a pleasure to talk to you Senator. I must say, if I was in your home I think I would want to have a gun. That is to say, you need to view this from the public employee’s point of view and their protection.”
“Senator Knox, I don’t know how I should have taken your comment,” Faust-Goudeau said. “I think we should be concerned for all people in the state of Kansas.”
“I apologize. If I could apologize, Mr. Chairman, for not being entirely serious,” Knox said. “But I am serious about this. We need to be concerned about everybody’s safety. It’s why I advocate for concealed carry as opposed to open carry.”
Eric Smith, legal counsel for the League of Kansas Municipalities, opposed the bill.
“Municipalities should maintain the authority to regulate their employees concerning the carrying of weapons,” Smith said. “We understand that the right to bear arms is a constitutional right. At the same time, as an employer, a city has certain duties and obligations.”
Mike Taylor, public relations director for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, said the legislature too often ignores the rights of local control as defined in the Kansas Constitution’s Home Rule amendment.
“This bill is an unwarranted intrusion into local control and meddles with our ability to operate our workplace,” Taylor said. “Too many Kansas legislators rail against the federal government imposing unwanted policies on the state, but then turn around and do the same thing to local governments.”
Mark Tallman, associate executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB), gave neutral testimony and suggested a change to the bill’s language to specifically exclude school districts from the mandate.
“If it is not the intent to exclude districts, KASB would oppose the bill,” Tallman said. “We are concerned school districts could not get liability insurance if employees are allowed to carry concealed weapons in the course of their employment.”
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wrote in a fiscal note attached to the bill that concealed carry amendments result in numerous requests for legal opinions by his office.
“If the number of these requests continues to grow, the Office may need an additional attorney to handle the increased volume of opinion requests,” he wrote.
Committee Chair Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer (R-Grinnell) said the committee will work more on the bill in the next two weeks.
Austin Fisher is a University of Kansas senior from Lawrence majoring in journalism.