OMAHA, Neb. —
Omaha police said in the six weeks since Nebraska’s constitutional carry law took effect they've arrested several people for failing to tell police they have a gun on them when they're contacted.
You may remember that Omaha police testified against the bill, saying its implications for a bigger city could lead to issues.
A misdemeanor charge laid out in the bill is still offering police some ability to deal with concealed guns locally.
A new constitutional carry law on the books in Nebraska is a learning curve for both the public and police.
https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-police-making-arrests-failure-to-disclose-after-constitutional-carry-law-goes-into-effect/45578378#“You have the right to carry the gun on you. But you also need to let law enforcement know, for their protection, everything else, so that that you have the firearm on you,” said Capt. Keith Williamson, with the Omaha Police Department.
Williamson leads the Omaha Police Department gang unit.
Over the past several weeks, he's also spent time learning about LB77 and its impacts on policing.
He said many people don't know that the law requires immediate notification and an ID, which can lead to citations.
"It's not it's not uncommon,” Williamson said.
In fact, according to law enforcement booking information, at least one person has been charged with "failure to disclose" a concealed weapon every day in the last week.
It's a misdemeanor for the first offense, an elevated misdemeanor for the second offense, and a felony for any additional offense.
"This was the will of the legislature and it passed. So, we will enforce the law with that. And we'll do our best to work within the confines of the law to respect people's constitutional rights and to keep the public safe,” Williamson said.
Williamson said if you tell an officer you have a gun on you or in your car right when they contact you, you're usually in the clear.
But he said these charges are often tacked on with other serious charges.
"I see those reports from what my officers do know and we are making arrests for that with people that we know are gang members,” Williamson said.
The bill forced the city to repeal some ordinances around firearms.
Williamson said that's made it more difficult trying to track guns in the wrong hands.
But as for the failure to disclose portion of the law, he said it's one tool in OPD’s arsenal.
"I would echo what both our mayor and chief’s said, is, we want more local control just to deal with the crime factors that we see locally that are different than other cities across our state,” Williamson said.
Williamson said the law still requires a concealed handgun carrier to be 21.
So, even if someone younger than that discloses, they could face a more serious charge.
And for any prohibited person carrying, they face a harsher penalty, too, even if they disclose.
He stresses it's still too early to tell any trends on these charges.
