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Senate debates SB119 firearms package; bill carried over after sponsors and critics discuss scope and provisions
Summary
SB119, part of a firearms package tied to the recent constitutional amendment, drew extensive floor debate on possession, sentencing, and procedural matters. The sponsor asked to carry the bill over to allow bipartisan meetings on amendments; the Senate carried SB119 to the call of the chair.
Senators debated Senate Bill 119 on Feb. 25, a bill described on the floor as the enabling and substantive counterpart to the constitutional amendment expanding nonbailable offenses. Debate focused on sentencing, possession while on bond, and whether certain offenses should be reclassified.
Sponsor Senator Barfoot outlined components of SB119: it contains the enabling language for the constitutional amendment, raises the class of shooting into an occupied building from a Class B to a Class A felony, and would create a separate offense for possession of a firearm while charged with certain felonies as a condition-based enforcement tool. Barfoot said officers and prosecutors had sought tools to address firearms-related public-safety concerns since the removal of the permit requirement.
Senator Smitherman pressed for caucus inclusion on the special-order calendar and raised questions about mens rea and possession-based enforcement; he said he supported the bill's goals but wanted caucus members' concerns addressed. Barfoot and other senators indicated there were draft amendments addressing issues such as prior convictions and nonviolent felony histories that might be acceptable to critics. Smitherman asked to meet and review amendments; Barfoot agreed.
After discussion the sponsor moved to carry SB119 to the call of the chair to allow additional meetings and amendment work. The motion carried without objection; no final passage vote occurred. The floor record shows the bill carried over for further consideration.
