Two bills pre-filed ahead of the Jan. 8 start of the Kansas Legislature's session would alter gun laws.
House Bill 2442 would ban the possession of any device or attachment to a semi-automatic firearm that is intended to enable the weapon to fire bullets in rapid succession, simulating an automatic firearm.
Stephen Paddock attached bump stocks to some of his weapons when he fired on a concert crowd in October in Las Vegas. The mass shooting claimed 58 lives.
The Trump administration is reviewing bump stocks and existing law. In the U.S. Senate and House, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Rep. Carlos Curbelo, D-Florida, introduced bills to outlaw the devices. The bills are pending.
California previously banned bump stocks and Massachusetts adopted a ban after the Las Vegas shooting. Other states are considering bans.
Neither Shooters Supply & Tackle in South Hutchinson nor Heartland Outdoor, also in South Hutchinson, sell bump stocks, although Shooters Supply said demand goes up when there is the talk of outlawing the device.
"That doesn't fit into the sporting/hunting side," said Heartland Outdoor's Roger Theede. "It's more tactical," he said of the firearm device.
Rep. Vic Miller, D-Topeka, sponsor of the anti-bump stock bill, said he had not heard of the device until the Las Vegas shooting. There is a federal ban on automatic firearms and he regarded the device as a way around that ban by boosting the rapid fire of a semi-automatic.
In 2017, Moriah Day, with the Kansas State Rifle Association's political action committee, was quoted saying the association opposed "any move to ban firearm accessories." The News was unable to reach Day on Tuesday.
Miller said it wouldn't surprise him if the bill encountered opposition.
Also, pre-filed Thursday was House Bill 2443, making it a misdemeanor to abandon or leave a loaded firearm in a public place that is accessible to the general public. The law would affect those who intentionally or accidentally leave a loaded firearm.
State Rep. Willie Dove, R-Bonner Springs, forgot and left his loaded firearm in a Statehouse committee room in early 2017.
"It is not directed at Rep. Dove, I want to make that clear, although it would cover an act like that," said Rep. Dennis "Boog" Highberger, D-Lawrence, who sponsored the new bill.
Highberger said he understands Kansas is the only state in the country where people can carry a handgun on a college campus without a permit or gun-safety training. This bill would attach responsibilities to the carrying of guns, in Highberger's view.
Another incident that attracted attention last year occurred when a handgun was found in a restroom in a Wichita State University classroom building. The gun belonged to a university employee.
The Class C misdemeanor is the lowest possible misdemeanor. The sentence can be up to a month in a county jail and/or a fine of up to $500. The actual punishment can be considerably less than the maximum allowed.
"It's not intended to be draconian," Highberger said.