Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) veto Monday, thereby lowering the age for concealed carry from 21 to 18 years of age.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the House conferred for “less than five minutes” before overriding the veto. The Lawrence Journal-World noted that the House vote was 86 to 37.
The Kansas Senate overrode the veto by a vote of 31-8.
Gov. Kelly claims to be pro-Second Amendment, but the Eagle noted campus carry has been a sticking point for her.
When she vetoed the legislation lowering the concealed carry age, Kelly said, “We can respect and defend the rights of Kansas gun owners while also taking effective steps to keep our children and families safe. Legislation that allows more guns on campus is neither safe nor effective, and it will drive prospective students away from our schools.”
State Rep. John Barker (R-Abiline) used Kelly’s veto to call her support of the Second Amendment into question.
Barker said, “The governor in her message indicated that she has always supported the Second Amendment. Well, I find that hard to believe sometimes, because we already have 18-year-olds that can carry a gun (openly) in the state of Kansas.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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