Gun-rights' sights set on Lincoln

LINCOLN — Omaha residents with permits to carry concealed weapons no longer have to register their guns with the city.

A new state law saw to that last month.

Now gun-rights supporters are turning their attention to a Lincoln ordinance that requires people to report sales of handguns.

Andy Allen of Syracuse, president of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, said he doesn't believe that the Lincoln requirement should apply to people who have concealed-carry permits.

Legislative Bill 817, which took effect in mid-July, bars cities from requiring holders of concealed-carry permits to register their guns.

Debate in the Legislature focused on Omaha's ordinance.

But Allen contends that the new law applies to the Lincoln ordinance as well.

“What they're doing is creating a registration, whether they call it a registration or not,” he said.

Lincoln's reporting form asks for the purchaser's name, address, phone number, date of birth, identifying characteristics such as eye color and signature.

The city also requires information about the gun and about the seller.

Tonya Peters, assistant Lincoln city attorney, said she doesn't think there is a conflict between the notice-of-sale requirement and the new law.

“It's not regulating the owner, it's regulating the seller of handguns,” she said.

Peters said no one other than the firearms owners group has raised an objection to the requirement.

State Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial, who got the concealed- carry provision added to Legislative Bill 817, also said he had not received any complaints about the Lincoln ordinance.

Although he said he would have to take a closer look at the issue, at first blush Christensen said he didn't like the Lincoln requirement.

“I don't like innocent people having to prove they're doing what's right,” Christensen said.

State senators passed LB 817 to make it clear that the state's concealed weapons law pre-empts Omaha's handgun registration requirement.

A 2009 law nullified city and village ordinances that conflicted with the concealed-carry law. But Omaha officials argued that the law did not affect the city's registration ordinance.

Marty Conboy, Omaha city prosecutor, said the city has not changed its ordinance but is enforcing it differently in light of LB 817.

People who show concealed-carry permits when buying a gun will not have to fill out a registration form, he said. All others will be required to register, as they did before.

Conboy said he encourages holders of concealed-carry permits to register their guns voluntarily.

That way, he said, the weapons can be returned if they are ever lost or stolen. Would-be thieves also might hesitate to steal a weapon that they know can be identified.

“It's just like licensing your dog,” Conboy said.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com

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