Please contact your state Senator immediately!
The NRA has learned that the state Senate will vote on the Conference Committee report for NRA-supported House Bill 271 this Monday, April 18. Sponsored by state Representative Krayton Kerns (R-58), the current language of HB 271 simply says that the prohibition on concealed carry does not apply to “a person who is eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law.”
Existing law allows any person who can legally own and possess a firearm to carry it openly, either loaded or unloaded, anywhere in the state, including within city limits. Additionally, law-abiding citizens are authorized to carry firearms concealed, without a permit, anywhere outside city limits. Law-abiding citizens do not suddenly turn into criminals when they cross the arbitrary boundary into a city. It makes no sense to allow them to carry concealed without a permit on one side of the line but not the other!
The Senate is scheduled to convene at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 18, but the vote on HB 271 will likely come later in the day. Please send an e-mail to your state Senator and follow-up with a phone call respectfully urging him or her to support the Conference Committee report for House Bill 271. You can find your state Senator’s personal e-mail address here. If they don’t list an e-mail address on their personal page, the next best alternative is to send an e-mail by clicking here. Legislators can be reached via phone on Monday by dialing (406) 444-4800. If you need help identifying your state Senator, please click here.
Thank you for working hard to ensure that HB 271 becomes a reality!