On the 9th of February twenty calendar days will have passed since my priority bill, LB 773, had it’s hearing in the Judiciary Committee. I notified the speaker the first hour of the very first day of session that this will be my priority bill. I was the first senator to do so. After twenty calendar days have passed since a bill hearing, a procedure in the legislature’s rules commonly known as the “pull motion” is in order. 

Senators use this procedure to force a bill to advance out of a committee to General File for debate by the entire legislature. Despite the fact this is in our rules, it isn’t a popular procedure. Pull motions cause hard feelings and they do come with a price. A significant amount of time will be spent on this, and we are already a third of the way through the session. Senators with priority bills that have yet to be heard should realize there may not be enough time for their bill to make it to the agenda before the session ends. This bill is very important to me. I will use every legislative procedure available to see it passed because this is about defending our constitutional rights which I swore an oath to do. 

LB 773 would remove the requirement to have a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon in Nebraska. This is commonly known as a “constitutional carry” law. Five of our six neighboring states have already passed this legislation. A citizen authorized by law to possess a firearm shouldn’t have to pay money and ask permission from the government to use their constitutionally protected 2nd Amendment rights. That said, this bill does not end the concealed carry permit program in Nebraska. Citizens will continue to have the option to get a permit if they wish. When our neighbors passed this law, the number of people paying for a permit actually increased after “constitutional carry” passed in their state.  

I realize this topic generates strong reactions in some people both for and against. It is important to remember that gun control laws only “control” those people inclined to obey the law in the first place. Murder and assault are already illegal. More laws don’t stop gun violence. There is no evidence that supports the idea that restrictions on law-abiding gun owners somehow makes society safer. In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence to the contrary. I encourage folks to read the 2003 and 2004 studies done by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the National Academy of Science concerning the efficacy of gun control laws on stopping gun-related crime. It will open your eyes.

I remain hopeful the chairman and members of the Judiciary Committee will carefully consider advancing my bill before next Wednesday. If they do not, I will use the pull motion. 25 votes are needed for the motion to be successful. I believe I have the votes. I urge citizens interested in protecting their 2nd Amendment rights to contact their senator and ask that they support LB 773. When the day of the debate comes this month, I hope to see the capitol filled with citizens who support this. Your presence in numbers makes a big difference.