by Dave Workman
Senior Editor

Gun rights activists in Kansas are looking at their new preemption law as a “good first step” toward the day, perhaps next year, when they will finally get a concealed carry statute.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed SB-195 last month, eliminating what the National Rifle Association called “an unfair patchwork of local firearm ordinances” across the state. State Sen. Phil Journey (R-Haysville) told Gun Week that he was delighted at the governor’s action, because it seemingly sets the stage for introduction of a concealed carry bill that might pass muster. Sebelius has opposed concealed carry in the past.

The new law takes effect July 1. It provides that no local jurisdiction can have firearms laws that are stricter than state laws, placing firearms regulation essentially in the hands of the Kansas legislature.

While Journey described the new statute as a preemption law, The Kansas City Star described it as a law that simply makes it easier for Kansas residents to transport firearms in their vehicles. Long guns must be unloaded and carried in closed containers.

Regardless how the new law is described, it will have the effect Journey described: No more conflicting gun regulations from one jurisdiction to another. He told The Star that along I-35, one of the state’s busiest freeways, “there are seven different jurisdictions, and every one of them has a different set of rules.”

With passage of this new law, Kansas becomes the 45th state to adopt a preemption statute.

The new law will not prevent local governments from adopting zoning laws that restrict the locations of gun shops or gun ranges. The new law also will not prevent local jurisdictions from passing restrictions on firearms in public buildings.

Under the new law, retired law enforcement officers will be able to continue carrying firearms in accordance with federal law, though the state still does not have a concealed carry statute.