In 1905, after the Kansas Supreme Court concocted the myth of a “collective” Second Amendment right that only applied to state militias, Kansas banned or severely restricting concealed carry permits. One hundred years later, Kansas transitioned from a de facto ban on concealed carry to “shall issue.” Ten years later, Kansas has now removed the requirement for a permit. As someone might have said, that’s real change we can believe in.
Now the Sunflower State has restored public employees’ ability to carry on the job. From Kansas.com:
Public employees will be able to travel the streets of Wichita and other Kansas cities with concealed firearms starting Friday.
Empowering state and municipal workers to conceal and carry on the job is one of many new laws passed by the Legislature that take effect July 1 . . .
HB 2502 will enable public employees, except school employees, to conceal and carry on the job without any gun safety training. They were already allowed to carry in public office buildings in most cases, but this change enables them to carry weapons when they go out into the community on official business.
Why should Kansas school employees be singled out for discrimination? Why should educators be denied their Second Amendment protected right to keep and bear arms, leaving children undefended?
School employees have been singled out because gun control advocates have successfully demonized firearms. At the same time, Kansas’ anti-gun educators (and their union) control the state’s education system, wielding considerable power at the State House.
As for their rationale, the declaration that “it’s for the children” removes the need to provide hard statistical data. The antis’ long term strategy: teach children that guns are bad. They’re so bad that we don’t allow them in schools. It doesn’t appear to be working, though. Against all odds, millennials are not adverse to guns.
Meanwhile, with members of the public armed, often visibly, public employees are asking why they should be deprived of their gun rights. Numerous counties have preceded Kansas in restoring these rights; I expect other states will follow.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
I fail to see any rational basis for removing the training requirement only for state employees.
However, I’m glad to see that generally Kansas is moving in the right direction. Obviously, when it comes to gun rights we are in the process of dividing the United States between free and slave states.
Although I agree, it’s probably a move in the face of Public Education Unions, and primarily the lack of any real training for such a scenario.
For example, I live in Soviet Wisconsi-stan. The 2nd Amendment wasn’t respected until 2011.
They finally passed legislation with a training requirement, (which okay whatever I’ll take it over no-issue) but much to the chagrin of the Blue Statists, they had to allow a grace period; because as state assembly members, lawyers and even active judges pointed out, you can’t have a requirement for training that doesn’t exist. That’s essentially what Heller, etc. were fighting against. During the “grace period”, simple hunter safety was sufficient, (and went on to be added permanently as a training requirement fulfillment).
Nice. Granted the goal should be no training required, but progress is always good.
Training should be required for everyone, whether thy want to own a gun or not — they’re still part of the militia.
Of course, as a militia requirement, the government would have to pay for the training.
The “removal of safety training” is the quoted article’s slant.
The Governor sign constitutional Carry for all.
But now in addition, municipal employees “on the job” can carry (without training!!!!!!)(just like everyone else)
“However, I’m glad to see that generally Kansas is moving in the right direction. Obviously, when it comes to gun rights we are in the process of dividing the United States between free and slave states.”
It has just occurred to me that once again, the Democrats control the slave states. Missouri Compromise anyone?
I’m glad to hear that Kansas is moving in the right direction.
This country truly is splitting up between team Liberty and team Tyranny.
California, Mass. NY, HI, etc. continue to get worse on the subject of firearm liberty (and all liberty really).
Texas, Idaho, Kansas, Florida, ect. continue to get better
Shit-show in MA…the AG and Governor need to be ousted from office.
Move.
Where oh where will the fascists settle their islamist invaders?
How can one (née government) “restore” a right when in fact the right is “inalienable” and the document relating to that right is in fact a “chisled in stone” denial of the governnent’s ability to infringe that right?
I can see “restoring” a right to a person if the right had been stripped due to a legal action later found to have been in error. Have all these sons of the prairie been guilty of some heinous crime for over a century ~~ now reversed on appeal (or a return to reason) ?
I like Kansas. Went there a month ago for work, Wichita, Dodge City, garden city. great people and a good feeling. Tornadoes kind of suck (several went through Dodge City when I was there) but some things are worth it.
The term ‘restore’ is misleading. What Kansas did was to cease to infringe on those rights.
As long as PUBLIC schools can ban carry, you have no Constitutional rights. You have temporary privileges only.