Handgun application fees could increase

The Judiciary Committee heard testimony Feb. 23 on a bill that would increase fees for obtaining a handgun.

LB658, introduced by Wilber Sen. Russ Karpisek, would increase the application fee for obtaining a handgun certificate from $5 to $10.

The fee was adjusted last in 1991, Karpisek said, and no longer covers the cost of issuing a certificate. State funding for counties and cities is being cut and the fee increase would offset some of their costs, he added.

Captain Todd Duncan of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office testified in support of the bill.

He said the county receives approximately 2,200 handgun applications per year.

The current $5 fee is far less than the costs incurred for the application background check, Duncan said, which cost $15 on average.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.