Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach on Tuesday urged lawmakers to cut the fee that his agency charges for concealed-carry permits in Kansas by 75%.
Making good on a promise he made during his campaign for attorney general, Kobach is proposing to eliminate the $100 fee that’s charged for concealed-carry permits plus the $25 renewal fee and any late fees.
The cost of a concealed-carry permit would still cost $32.50 that’s paid to the sheriff in the county where the applicant resides. The bill would cost the state about $1.2 million, which would be covered from the state general funds.
Kobach said carrying a gun is protected by the Second Amendment and someone should not be charged for exercising rights provided by the Constitution.
“This is a constitutional right, and in the country we ought not to pay for the exercise of constitutional rights,” Kobach said.
“I shouldn’t have to pay a fee to the state if I want to come speak in front of the Legislature. You shouldn’t have to pay a fees to be a Legislature exercising your First Amendment rights,” he said.
“We don’t pay a fee to exercise our religious freedom when we attend services,” he said.
He also said the cost could be a deterrence for someone to get a concealed gun permit, which requires an applicant to complete an eight-hour weapons safety and training course and obtain a certificate of completion from a certified trainer.
Kobach conceded that the incentive to get the permit and the required training was lessened when the Legislature authorized concealed-carry without a permit in 2015.
“I think this bill increases the incentive because it takes away that $100 cost of getting a concealed-carry permit and makes it more affordable for Kansans to go through the training,” Kobach told the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.
Last year, the state received 4,544 concealed-carry applications, which was down 41% from the previous year when it received 7,717 applications.
The number of concealed-carry applications the state received in 2021 was the most since 2015, when the state started allowing Kansans to carry a concealed gun without a permit.
The number of concealed-carry permits dropped to 5,874 in fiscal year 2016 from 9,804 in fiscal year 2015 after “constitutional carry” became law.
The attorney general’s office issued 15,169 renewed licenses in fiscal year 2022.
Democratic state Rep. Christina Haswood of Lawrence expressed concerns about whether the proposal would lower the barrier to accessing guns for “bad actors or for 18- to 20-year olds who might contemplate suicide.
Haswood asked Kobach what his office was doing to address youth suicide. He said his office has staff and programs that address the issue.
In 2018, former Attorney General Derek Schmidt formed a task force to survey efforts underway in Kansas to reduce youth suicide and provide recommendations on further steps that could be taken.
The task force recommended the creation of a youth suicide prevention coordinator within the attorney general’s office and in 2019, the Legislature passed a bill creating the position.
“Getting a concealed-carry permit doesn’t enable you to purchase the firearm. You’re able to purchase it either way,” Kobach said.
“If someone was purchasing for the purpose of committing suicide, I don’t think this dramatically changes things,” he said.
“The bad actors point you make is alleviated by the fact that there is a background check when you get a concealed-carry permit,” he said.
“So if someone who is a proven bad actor has a criminal bad record, would not be able to obtain a concealed-carry permit,” he said.
