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House committee approved bill to allow concealed firearms into government meetings

Newsday.com

Legislators have voted to advance two bills relating to guns in government meetings.

One that would allow people to carry concealed weapons into government meetings passed unanimously, after the committee agreed to strike a provision that would have required permission of the meeting’s presiding officer.

Former gun shop owner Maury Jones of Jackson Hole says concealed guns make government meetings safer.

“Good people with concealed carry permits are as good as cops,” Maury says. “You know, these people hare vetted pretty well before they become a policeman, they’ve got to have a clean record and everything else. Our concealed carry permit holders in Wyoming are also the same.”

The committee also approved a bill adding courtrooms to the list of places, like mental hospitals and jails, where deadly weapons – open or concealed – are prohibited.

Both bills head to the House floor for further debate.

Sara Hossaini is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She brings a blend of documentary journalism and public interest communications experience developed through her work as a nonprofit multimedia consultant and Associate Producer on national PBS documentary films through groups such as the Center for Asian American Media, Fenton Communications and The Working Group. She likes to travel, to get her hands in the dirt and to explore her creative side through music, crafts and dance.