People in Lincoln will now be required to keep firearms in vehicles out of sight and with the doors locked.
The Lincoln City Council on Monday voted unanimously in favor of an amended ordinance proposal brought forth by Councilman Roy Christensen.
Christensen, a gun owner himself, introduced the ordinance in an effort to help reduce opportunities for juveniles to steal guns from cars.
In 2018, there were 149 stolen firearms reported to police in Lincoln. Of those, 24 were stolen from cars.
He proposed the ordinance last month but delayed a public hearing as he considered problems with the language related to how rifles would be transported during hunting season and how it could be applied to truck owners.Â
After a hearing where several gun owners testified in opposition to his ordinance, Christensen proposed an amended ordinance to overhaul his original proposal.Â
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The changed ordinance requires firearms left in a vehicle to be hidden and the vehicle be secured.Â
He removed requirements the guns be stored in a locked glove box, trunk or hardened case attached to the vehicle because the language proved impractical for transporting long guns, he said.
He said he believes the changes remove some of the temptation for thieves to break into a car while remaining practical, he said.Â
"I think this is a reasonable approach that brings gun safety to people's attention but doesn’t go so far as infringe on people’s rights," Christensen said in an interview.
People found in violation of his amended ordinance once or twice would be guilty only of an infraction, punishable by a fine, instead of a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. A third violation would result in a misdemeanor charge.
The ordinance will replace a current one that bans the storage of firearms in a vehicle for more than 24 hours.
Members of the military and law enforcement officers are exempt from the ordinance when they are on duty or in training.
Councilwoman Jane Raybould also sought to change the penalty for people violating the ordinance from the possibility of jail time to a fine.Â
Under her amendment, a first-time offender could have been fined up to $250 and up to $500 for a subsequent offense.Â
Raybould was not at Monday's meeting. Sändra Washington introduced her proposal, which was voted down 6-0 in favor of Christensen's.
Monday's vote comes on the heels of a council vote last month requiring gun owners to report thefts of their weapons to police within 48 hours.
Both ordinances are aimed at reducing the number of gun thefts from vehicles, of which there were more than 60 total in 2017 and 2018.