The House passed a concurrent resolution Wednesday that would allow Kansans to vote in November 2010 on whether or not to amend the state Constitution to allow gun ownership for "any lawful purpose."

The House vote was 116-9.

Currently the Constitution reads that “the people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, and shall not be tolerated, and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.”

The amendment would make it clear that “a person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, for lawful hunting and recreational use, and for any other lawful purpose."

The measure easily managed to gain the two-thirds constitutional majority that is required when passing concurrent resolutions in both chambers. The bill passed the Senate yesterday with a 39-1 vote. Democratic Sen. David Haley, from Kansas City, was the only Senator to vote against the measure.

“By offering this proposed constitutional amendment, our citizens will have the final say – shall we have an individual right to gun ownership in Kansas, or shall the state control and dictate who may own or use a gun?” Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, said in his explanation of his support for the bill. “I am very hopeful the majority of Kansans will agree the power shall rest with the citizens, not with the government.”

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six also testified as a proponent of the legislation in the Senate Judiciary committee last week.

“SCR 1611 would clarify an individual’s right to bear arms under the Kansas Constitution,” Six said in his testimony.

“I support such an amendment because I support an individual’s right to possess a firearm under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of District of Columbia vs. Heller.”

Minimum wage.

The House also passed a bill today 104-21 that would increase the state’s minimum wage limits from $2.65 an hour to match the federal minimum wage rate in January 2010. The federal rate is expected to increase to $7.25 in July.

After passing the Senate in February 33-7, Senate Bill 160 was amended in the House so the legislation will be going back for another vote in the Senate before it can be sent to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Rep. Mike Kiegerl, R-Olathe, warned representatives that the legislation may have the opposite effect of what it is intended to do and cited research that demonstrated that increasing the minimum wage resulted in a loss of jobs for many workers.

“Do not delude yourself that you are helping people,” Kiegerl said in the House. “You are actually hurting those who need the jobs the most.”

- Holly Smith

Resources:

Link to the amendment bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2010/2009_1611.pdf

Link to Senate Bill 160: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2010/160.pdf

The Week in Review