Change In Kansas Gun Laws: 18–20 year olds

Kymon Warman

Every year, Kansas state officials gather for what could be seen as the year’s most impactful affair — the Kansas Legislative Session. During this time, bills are designed, rewritten, debated, vetoed, and overturned in an effort to create the most constructive and effective legislature for the state. The annual 90 day lawgiving procedure ended in May, but the bills that were passed didn’t go into effect until July 1st.

One of the most problematic and widely debated bills that is currently enacted is bill HB2058. The bill, by Federal and State Affairs, as noted by the Kansas Legislature website claims that bill HB2058 “Provide[s] reciprocity for licenses to carry concealed handguns and creating a new class of concealed carry license for individuals 18 to 20 years of age, and create[d] the Kansas protection of firearm rights act to restore the right to possess a firearm upon expungement of certain convictions.”

Some individuals feel that allowing 18–20 year olds to conceal carry is unnecessary and potentially dangerous, others believe that it’s a fundamental right. This factious discussion comes after 67 school shootings have taken place since 2018, spawning conversations from both gun control advocates and their opposers. The most common defense of the anti-gun control argument is that the fatal decisons of others shouldn’t deprive “good-intentioned” individuals from their rights. But gun control supporters have continued to push for stricter background checks when purchasing weapons, along with restricting the use of certain guns, most specifically the AR-15, which was used in major mass shootings in Parkland, Las Vegas, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Poway Synagogue, and many more mass shootings.

The change will go into effect immediately starting July 1st, even in colleges and universities. Kansas University’s information page states that starting July 1st individual instructors or educators will not be able to prohibit 18- 20 year olds with proper gun permits from concealed carrying in classrooms, labs, or offices to which they are assigned. An exception to this freedom is adequate security measures. If detectors and armed personnel are provided at the entrances to the space that an individual is entering, they will not have the ability to conceal carry.

This is just one of the many changes coming to Kansas starting July 1st. A list of bills introduced in the 2021 legislative session is available on the Kansas Legislative Session website.