By CINDY GONZALEZ
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — One of Nebraska’s newest lawmakers, State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, admits that he probably puzzled some by introducing a firearms bill in one of his first official legislative actions.
Rest assured, said the Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, he hasn’t changed his stance against loosening “common sense gun laws.”
He said he remains a “big believer of gun-free zones in schools.”
Dungan described Legislative Bill 17 as his proposal to fix a narrow issue for a small population. Currently, police officers and military personnel who are on duty or working under a school security contract are among exceptions to a state law that makes possessing a firearm on school grounds a felony.
Under Dungan’s bill, full-time peace officers who are off duty also would become an exception to the rule.
He said his aim is to make it easier, for example, for first responders on the way home from work and in possession of their firearm to pick up their kids from school.
“We just want to make sure our law enforcement officers aren’t inadvertently committing a felony,” Dunbar said. “In no way is it intended to increase the amount of firearms on school grounds.”
Dungan, a former Lancaster County public defender who started his law career working with kids in juvenile court, said he has received comments and questions about the bill since it was introduced last week. He said he appreciated the dialogue and opportunity to set aside any confusion.
He noted that he is against the bill introduced last week by State Sen. Tom Brewer, to allow concealed carry of a handgun without a permit.