TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a bill yesterday to allow Kansans to carry concealed handguns, saying the measure would have made law-enforcement officers’ jobs more difficult.
The bill would have required the attorney general’s office to issue a concealed-carry permit to any Kansan 21 or older who is a U.S. citizen, pays a $150 application fee, has no mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction and completes eight hours of training.
In her veto message, Mrs. Sebelius, a Democrat elected in 2002, said she saw peril ahead if the bill become law: “Police officers, highway patrolmen, sheriffs and deputies in Kansas would be forced to assume that any person they stop could have a firearm.”
“This would make their already dangerous job even more difficult,” she said.
Legislators could override Mrs. Sebelius’ veto with two-thirds majorities in both chambers, but the bill passed in the House six votes short of the number needed to override.
Earlier this week, Rep. L. Candy Ruff, a primary sponsor of the measure, said she did not expect an attempt to override a veto.
The legislation would have prohibited concealed handguns in schools, city halls, courthouses and most state office buildings, but would have allowed them in the Statehouse, school parking lots and restaurants that serve alcohol.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.