City keeps its ban on concealed weapons

COLUMBUS - The Public Property, Safety and Works Committee voted to keep an ordinance banning concealed weapons within city limits during its meeting Monday.

The committee also discussed the state's new Concealed Handgun Permit Act, but voted to hold the issue in committee.

The act, LB 454, passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Dave Heineman will allow people to carry concealed handguns in Nebraska beginning Jan. 1, 2007. They would first have to qualify for a concealed-carry permit, which includes passing a background check and completing a firearms training and safety course approved by the Nebraska State Patrol.

Police Chief William Gumm encouraged the committee to keep the ordinance in place without amendment.

“The act does not supersede a city's current ordinance,” Gumm said. “The city of Columbus has had an ordinance prohibiting (concealed weapons) since at least 1963, and I am presented with no compelling reason to amend or change the ordinance.”

Existing state law 15-255 gives cities the power to prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons and LB 454 did not change that statute. Columbus city ordinance 130.051 states, “it shall be unlawful for any person in the city, officers of the law excepted, to carry concealed on or about his or her person any pistol, revolver ... or any other dangerous or deadly weapon.”

Ron Bogus, the committee chairman, said the committee decided not to rescind the current ordinance and to wait until other cities of comparable size to Columbus could be observed to determine the impact the act has on those communities.

“The only Nebraska communities that have done anything (in response to the act) are Omaha and Lincoln,” Bogus said. “We are waiting for some input from other communities.”

There are three options in response to the new legislation, he said, to leave the ordinance as is, amend it to permit only guns (the current ordinance includes knives and other weapons) or pass a new ordinance that would allow for carrying a concealed weapon.

Joe Jarecke, vice chair of the committee, said although views were expressed on both the pros and cons of the act, he did not think it was necessary for concealed handguns to be carried within Columbus because of the low crime rate within the city.

“I don't know what the state was thinking when they approved this bill,” Jarecke said, but “they put a lot of burden on the cities.”

“If everybody just kind of leaves their laws on the books” prohibiting concealed weapons, he said, “then the state may have to rethink what they did.”

Jarecke said he opposes rescinding the city's ordinance prohibiting concealed handguns, but agreed to “play the wait and see game” on how other cities react.

Charlie Bahr, a committee member, said although he supported LB 454 he did not mind waiting to make a recommendation.

“We tabled any change to (the city ordinance) until such time as we can see what effect state law is going to have,” Bahr said, but “I would like to bring it up again ... and adopt LB 454 as our ordinance.”

John Lohr, a committee member, said he supported the idea to revisit any considerations to change the city ordinance until the city could see the affects the act has on other communities.

The committee wanted “to allow state law to go into effect and be in affect for a couple months to see how other communities are addressing (the act),” Lohr said. So, until the ordinance is changed, “if you get a permit, you will have to check the concealed gun at the border.”