NE: Gov to Sign or Veto Gun Bill

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pa...8&u_sid=2393152

BY MARTHA STODDARD
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

State lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday adding colleges, universities and hospitals to the list of places where concealed weapons are automatically prohibited.

Legislative Bill 97, approved 42-1, now goes to Gov. Dave Heineman for his signature or veto.

Current state law automatically bars people from carrying concealed handguns in a long list of places. Emergency rooms and trauma centers are on the list, but hospitals are not.

Also on the list are schools, school grounds, school-owned vehicles and school-sponsored activities, athletic events or collegiate athletic events. But Attorney General Jon Bruning said in a December opinion that colleges and universities do not qualify as "schools" under the law.

That left the University of Nebraska in the category of places that can ban concealed handguns but can only enforce the policy by posting signs or telling people carrying concealed weapons to remove their guns from the premises.

University officials said the posting requirement was costly and impractical. The university has 752 buildings on properties scattered across the state.

Under LB 97, concealed handguns would be banned in all college or university buildings, grounds, vehicles, activities or athletic events.

Nebraska's concealed carry law took effect this year. It allows people older than 21 to obtain permits to legally carry handguns in their purses, pockets or glove compartments. People must take special training and undergo background checks before they can get permits.