The Hays City Commission met Thursday night and approved ordinances to allow for the adoption of the 2013 Uniform Public Offense Code and the 2013 Standard Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities.  Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler presented a recommendation for the commission to approve these measures, as they are representative of the latest changes in Kansas Legislation.

The changes to Sec. 10.1 remove a switchblade knife from the list of weapons which are prohibited from being carried, concealed or unconcealed.  Sec. 10.1.1 also removes the dagger, dirk, dangerous knife, straight edge razor, and stiletto from the list of dangerous weapons which are prohibited from being carried concealed.

The motion for approval passed 4-1.  Before going to a vote, Commissioner Henry Schwaller IV explained he would be voting “no” because he took an oath to protect the safety of Hays residents and to uphold the State and Federal constitutions.  He said that this statute conflicts with his commitment.

“I am very concerned about allowing stilettos, straight-edged razors and other knives as devices for protection. There is a reason that these have been illegal for a very long time.  Conceal carry is a whole other matter.  I think that is an individual’s right and as long as they are licensed, that’s fine.

“This is a matter that I think is just too dangerous, and it is in a conflict of the oath I took when I became a City Commissioner.  I cannot vote for this.  I know it’s only a symbolic vote because the statute is law, but I do think it’s not a great position to put cities in: to force them to adopt something that goes against the very oath that they took.”

The adoption of the 2013 Uniform Public Offense Code will also allow police officers to accept electronic proof of insurance from motorists instead of only accepting paper documentation.   It will also allow for anyone charged with stealing a firearm to face a potential felony charge rather than a misdemeanor.