Senate rejects proposed 50‑foot visible‑firearm buffer around schools; HB75 passes

Senators debated a proposed amendment to House Bill 75 that would have created a buffer preventing visible firearms within the lesser of 50 feet or the adjacent roadway around schools and certain educational properties.

Senator Hilliard, who offered Amendment No. 6, said the governor's office had asked for the change and emphasized children's reactions to seeing visible guns: "The question is really the children seeing a gun being carried. That's the concern." He described the 50‑foot or roadway boundary as a reasonable, measured exception to open carry in areas adjacent to schools.

Opponents argued the amendment would unfairly restrict lawful carriers and raised practical enforcement questions. Senator Butters said he did not understand why the amendment was proposed and that he was "very opposed to this amendment." Other senators raised concerns that the amendment would create new criminal exposure for otherwise lawful behavior and questioned how citizens would know when they were inside a regulated zone.

A standing vote was taken on the amendment: 10 in favor and 14 opposed, and the motion failed. After the amendment's defeat, the Senate proceeded to final passage on HB75; the transcript records the bill passing on third reading with 19 yeas, 8 nays and 2 absent. The Senate president later noted expectations that the governor might veto the bill, and at least one senator indicated he planned to vote against a veto override.

The floor exchange focused on balancing children's exposure to visible firearms with the rights of lawful carriers; the transcript did not include specific penalty language for the proposed buffer (the amendment failed before that was adopted on the floor).