SPONSOR: Wiemann
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on General Laws by a vote of 8 to 4. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 7 to 2 with 1 voting Present.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 737.
This bill allows a firearms owner to transport and store firearms in privately owned, locked vehicles in parking garages, lots, and parking spaces. Property owners, tenants, employers, and business entities are exempt from both civil and criminal liability for any occurrences involving the firearms stored or transported on their property. The entity may require that firearms be kept in a locked case and hidden from view if stored in a vehicle.
The bill does not apply to firearms possessed in violation of federal or state law. An owner and employer may ban employee firearms from vehicles owned or leased by the employer or owner. An employer and business may ban firearms from certain limited access parking areas if storage areas for firearms are made available to the employee or customer, or if alternative parking areas are provided that are reasonably close to the business or employer.
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that the bill allows them to maintain their Second Amendment rights at their places of employment. The bill allows those who work in high crime areas to not have to sacrifice their protection.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Wiemann; Arnie Dienoff; and Susan Myers.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that it makes property rights secondary to gun ownership. The bill also prevents property owners from having knowledge and control of gun ownership on their property.
Testifying against the bill were Janice Mericle; Kimberly D. Montgomery; Marc Becker; Thomas Hastings; Benjamin Cohen, Students Demand Action--Columbia; Karen Rogers; Mary Gross; and Nancy Ames. Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: