Omnibus gun bill passed

A bill that updates several concealed carry provisions and the state’s Uniform Controlled Substances Act passed May 21.

LB236, as introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, would have allowed counties to authorize residents to carry a concealed weapon without a state-issued permit. Those provisions were removed from the bill and replaced by provisions of four other bills:
• LB85, introduced by Brainard Sen. Bruce Bostelman, which requires the Nebraska State Patrol to notify the holder of a concealed carry permit four months prior to the permit’s expiration;
• LB173, introduced by Blair Sen. Ben Hansen, which exempts from concealed carry prohibitions the transportation of a firearm in a vehicle for lawful purposes or carrying a concealed weapon directly to or from a vehicle if the firearm is unloaded, stored in a case and kept separate from ammunition;
• LB244, introduced by Elmwood Sen. Robert Clements, which allows a 30-day grace period to renew a concealed carry permit; and
• LB301, also introduced by Hansen, which removes CBD contained in a product approved by the FDA from the definition of hashish or concentrated cannabis and updates Nebraska drug schedules and penalties to conform to federal law.

Senators passed LB236 on a 45-0 vote.