Lawmakers Try to Exempt Themselves From Weapons Law

Senator Rich Wardner

An attempt to give themselves additional weapon exemptions was turned back to conference committee today in the Senate. SB 2139 was amended in conference committee by Rep. Glenn Bosch (read Rep. Todd Porter and Senator Kelly Armstrong) that would allow “state elected officials” a.k.a. Legislators to carry a concealed weapon in a “publicly owned or operated building” a.k.a. The Capitol Building or public schools. They would have added themselves to the list of others who are exempt including law enforcement and members of the armed forces.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner was not a fan of the attempt by lawmakers to give themselves special privileges and sent it back to conference committee in hopes to have the language removed. Wardner did the right thing as leader. If lawmakers are concerned about suspicious activity at the Capitol, they’ve already upgraded the security to address that. There is something inherently wrong when elected officials elevate themselves higher than the general public they serve.