Kansas Interim Secretary of Administration Mark J. McGivern today announced that as of Monday, July 1, 2013, properly licensed firearms will be allowed in all State office buildings not exempted by law. The 2013 Kansas Legislature passed a measure permitting concealed carry of guns in public buildings with certain exceptions, and McGivern said his agency is complying with the intent of the new law.

“The Kansas Legislature clearly indicated the belief that properly licensed individuals should be allowed to exercise their right to carry concealed firearms in most public buildings,” said McGivern.

The new law stipulates that concealed carry is permitted in any state or municipal building “unless such building has adequate security measures to ensure that no weapons are permitted to be carried into such building . . . .” Although the State could exempt itself and prohibit concealed carry until January 1, 2014, the Department of Administration is not exercising an exemption for state-owned buildings.

The law defines a state or municipal building as “a building owned or leased by such public entity.”  The Department of Administration interprets the definition of a building leased by the State to include free standing buildings in which the State is the sole tenant.

In order to get clarification from the Attorney General on how the law should be applied to leased premises within a building where the State is not the sole tenant, the Department of Administration will exercise a six-month exemption for those properties.  McGivern said those buildings shall operate as they had prior to July 1, 2013.

State correctional facilities, courtrooms and law enforcement agencies are generally exempt from the new law.  Certain State health care facilities and post-secondary educational facilities may notify the Attorney General of six month and four-year exemptions to the law. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs have exercised six month extensions for their health care facilities throughout the state.