Preparing for Concealed Carry of Handguns

Approximately one hundred thousand (100,000) Kansans possess an active permit for concealed carry handguns. As one (1) of eleven (11) states that does not require a license to carry a handgun, Kansas continues to see lower rates of applicants for concealed carry in comparison to states with license requirements, such as Florida which has over one million (1,000,000) active permits. From a national perspective, there are over fourteen and one-half million (14,500,000) active concealed carry permits. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of women with permits has increased twice as quickly as the number of men with permits.

House Bill 2052 addressed several changes of existing laws related to firearms and the Personal and Family Protection Act (concealed carry of handguns). A few points of the bill’s accomplishments are:

• Modifies the Personal and Family Protection Act to allow the possession of firearms on certain governmental property, including in state and municipal buildings;
• Prevents a state agency or municipality from prohibiting a licensed employee from carrying a concealed handgun at the employee’s workplace, unless the building has adequate security measures and adopted personnel policies prohibit such concealed carry by employees who are licensed;
• Establishes that it is not be a crime for a person to carry a concealed handgun into a public building if properly posted and allows for the denial of entry to a building or removal of such person from a building where concealed carry is prohibited;
• Provides a specific four-year exemption (deadline of July 1, 2017) for any state or municipal building if the governing body or chief administrative officer follows specified procedures for exempting certain entities identified in the bill: public medical care facilities, public adult care homes, community mental health centers, indigent health care clinics, and post-secondary educational institutions.

Additionally, Senate Bill 65, signed in January of 2015, prohibits public employers from establishing personnel policies which conflict with the House bill’s expectation of concealed carry. For many employers, the concern to comply with the quickly-approaching deadline of July 1, 2017, to allow concealed handguns within government and municipal buildings is rising. It leaves employers asking, “Where do I go next?”

Creative Business Solutions specializes in ensuring each of our valued clients is in compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to their respective businesses. Please call us today and we will be pleased to assist you with any HR compliance issue you may be experiencing, including concealed carry compliance.

Source:

http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/news/20160725/applications-drop-after-law-changes

http://crimeresearch.org/2016/07/new-study-14-5-million-concealed-handgun-permits-last-year-saw-largest-increase-ever-number-permits/

http://www.kslawenforcementinfo.com/concealed-carry.htmlhttp://www.kslawenforcementinfo.com/concealed-carry.html