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House Overrides Concealed Carry Veto
April 27, 2007 03:22 PM CDT
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - State lawmakers override Governor Sebelius' veto of a bill preventing local governments from imposing additional restrictions on Kansans carrying concealed guns.
The override today allows the measure to become law.
It's the second veto of the Democratic governor to be overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Last year, lawmakers overrode her veto of the bill creating the concealed gun law.
The override was completed on a Senate vote this morning of 30-to-10, three more than the necessary two-thirds majority. Yesterday the House overrode the veto on a 98-to-26 vote.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Governor Sebelius said, "It's truly unfortunate legislators in Topeka have decided to restrict the responsibilities of local elected officials to make decisions about the safety and security of Kansas families. While proponents of this measure argue that the law will now be consistent, that is not accurate. This new law will now allow a restriction on guns at a school-sponsored event, like a soccer game, but prohibit local officials from restricting guns at a similar event, on an adjacent field, if the soccer game was sponsored by the local community league.
Legislators have also chosen to ignore the strong pleas from the law enforcement community, who urged me to veto this bill. I continue to support the Second Amendment rights of Kansas citizens, but also respect the advice of our law enforcement community and the authority of local elected officials to make decisions about safety and security of Kansas families."
The bill was a reaction to efforts by some cities, especially in Johnson County, to impose their own requirements.
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