Gun bill voted down by lawmakers
By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 - 04:00:19 pm CDT
The Legislature on Friday extinguished an attempt to address gun violence in Nebraska — even in a form it was believed the National Rifle Association would not oppose.
The amended bill (LB958), introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Brad Ashford of Omaha, would have:
* Required a report on gun violence from the Nebraska Crime Commission;
* Established a hotline to report lost or stolen firearms;
* Eliminated the need for a state permit to purchase a handgun;
* Extended the time mental health records can be used for background checks.
Originally, the bill would have traced how young people obtain guns, required trigger locks on every gun sold, required that stolen guns be reported within 48 hours, and required a commission to identify “inherently dangerous” guns that ought to be banned in the state.
The bill’s failure to advance means a state permit will continue to be needed to purchase a handgun.
The legislation was amended, Ashford said, because it was hard to find some type of gun legislation that senators could address without significant opposition from the NRA. When the NRA opposes a bill, the onslaught of e-mails and other correspondence is distracting to senators, he said.
The bill failed to advance to final reading on a 20-20 vote. It takes 25 votes to advance a bill.
Ashford had proposed LB958 in reaction to a mass shooting last year in Omaha at the Westroads Shopping Center’s Von Maur store. Eight people were killed, including the 19-year-old shooter, who turned the gun on himself. He had taken the assault weapon he used from his stepfather’s house.
Ashford will not pursue the gun legislation in the near future, he said.
Sen. Tim Gay of Papillion, who voted against the bill, said the proposed study of gun violence in Nebraska was more “feel good” than substantive.
“I don’t know if it would have accomplished anything,” he said.
Senators who voted against the bill said it had changed substantially from the bill that was heard by the Judiciary Committee.
“It was a completely different bill,” Gay said.
The amended bill would have dropped the requirement for a $5 handgun permit from police or sheriff’s offices, which would have left the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to fulfill that need for both handguns and long guns.
The FBI instant check system provides information on available records of people who may be disqualified from receiving firearms.
Sen. Phil Erdman of Bayard, who voted against the measure, said that although some supported the idea of allowing the instant check system to stand alone, some people had problems with it. The system is sometimes unavailable, Erdman said.
He said the Judiciary Committee doesn’t need a bill to do a state gun violence study. Most of what is in the bill is already available, he said.
Any others (especially Nebraskans or Midwest folk) who see this as a positive outcome or do you think the proposed legislation would have made Nebraska safer?
