Wyoming is one step closer to allowing the concealed carry of firearms in some parts of the state Capitol building in Cheyenne.
The State Building Commission (SBC), which is made up of the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction and state auditor, voted unanimously to move the rule change forward at a meeting on Jan. 8.
If it’s approved by the state Legislature’s top leaders, Wyomingites visiting the Capitol might soon be able to pack heat along with their notepads and pencils, but only in rooms or hallways that aren’t actively being used for public meetings.
State law already bans people from concealed carry in state government meetings.
But the majority of people who will be carrying firearms under the new rule will visit the Capitol specifically to go to its public meetings, which could make things complicated, according to one representative.
“You come to be in a committee hearing,” said Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland), a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and the incoming speaker pro tem. “I don’t know anyone who comes to the Capitol to stand in the hallway. So do we have lock boxes? Do we have biometrics so that these individuals can disarm themselves, place it in a biometric safe, go into the committee meeting, come out, grab their sidearm and reholster?”
This session, Haroldson said he’s bringing a bill that was vetoed last year by Gov. Mark Gordon that would do away with all state-run gun-free zones in Wyoming.
“What we really want to give the people of Wyoming is this: the freedom to bear arms across the board,” he said. “We will give that to them in the bill that I’m running.”
In Gordon’s veto letter from the last session, he said the bill “erodes historic local control” by giving the Legislature “the ability to micromanage a constitutionally protected right.”
But he also promised to look into removing the Capitol’s gun-free zones, kicking off the current change.
“I appreciate their sentiment,” said Haroldson, referring to the commission. “I also believe that their course of action was not adequate, nor allowable, because of statute.”
The move comes after an online survey posted by the commission showed 87% of respondents opposed the idea. Some responses to the SBC’s survey said the rules could quell freedom of speech and deter people from testifying on controversial bills at the Capitol.
The changes now head to legislative leaders for a final sign-off before they go into effect, which will likely happen sometime during the general session that starts on Jan. 14.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
