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Senate amends firearms bill, restores restrictions on carrying in public buildings and raises training fees
Summary
The Senate adopted amendments to House Bill 1588 to keep publicly owned buildings off-limits for concealed carry with a permit, codify storage rules in state buildings, authorize limited higher-education flexibility, and raised training fees; final passage recorded 43-4.
The North Dakota Senate on April 3 adopted committee amendments to House Bill 1588, which changes statutes governing dangerous weapons, concealed carry and related penalties, and then passed the bill on final reading 43-4.
Senator Paulson, the bill carrier, told the chamber the amendments remove a provision that would have allowed concealed carry in publicly owned and operated buildings under a concealed carry permit and restore current code language that prohibits possession of firearms or dangerous weapons in those places. The amendments also retreated from earlier provisions restricting binary triggers, left binary triggers lawful, reinstated existing storage provisions for firearms in state or political subdivision buildings, and allowed the State Board of Higher Education to establish less restrictive on-campus policies for public gatherings in specific circumstances (for example, a campus gun club), though it does not require such policies.
The package also made particular violations noncriminal (a $100 fee for violations of the reinstated section) and raised the fee for concealed weapons permit training from $50 to $100 per student, a change supporters said was needed to ensure adequate instructor availability. The bill further adjusts the dangerous-weapon definition by extending an excluded knife-blade length from 5 inches to 6 inches and aligned constitutional carry reporting to law enforcement during a traffic stop with existing concealed-carry requirements.
The Judiciary Committee reported the amendment favorably (6-1) and the committee also recommended a due pass on the bill; the full Senate adopted the committee amendment and then passed House Bill 1588 by 43 ayes to 4 nays. Supporters said the changes preserve current limits on carrying in public buildings while clarifying penalties and training fees; opponents raised concerns in committee about specifics but the Senate approved the revised text on the floor.
The engrossed bill amends section 62 of the North Dakota Century Code and includes penalties and administrative adjustments as described on the floor; the Senate record shows a committee concurrence followed by a recorded final vote.
