With raw emotions erupting on the floor of the Legislature during a morning of intense debate, state senators voted Friday to free Sen. Tom Brewer's "constitutional carry" gun rights bill from a filibuster and sent it on the way to second-round consideration.
The bill advanced on a 35-9 vote following a 36-9 vote to end debate.Â
Thirty-three votes were required to break the filibuster that threatened to trap the bill and eliminate it from this session's agenda. Â
The action represented a big step forward for gun rights advocates and a huge victory for Brewer of Gordon, who shepherded the bill through a gantlet of opposition mounted by senators from Lincoln and Omaha.
"We live in a place much different outside of Lincoln," Brewer told his metropolitan colleagues, suggesting that on occasion undermanned law enforcement in rural areas could welcome the assistance of law-abiding citizens in "protecting themselves and their families."
The bill (LB773) would allow people to carry a concealed handgun in Nebraska without paying for a $100 permit.
But Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, who proposed a compromise that would eliminate current fees charged for both permitting and required training for people who carry a concealed handgun, said the bill would also "remove training and background requirements (and) that is a bridge too far."
"I want to be sure that gun owners have the requisite training they need," he said.
Brewer said the bill does not remove the background check requirement that concealed-carry gun owners still would need to clear.
Noting the opposition expressed to the bill by Lincoln senators, Brewer asked "have we forgotten the chaos in Lincoln?" that erupted during Black Lives Matter protests near the state Capitol in 2020.
All of the nine votes to maintain the filibuster and in opposition to the bill itself were cast by senators from Lincoln and metropolitan Omaha.
The proposal is opposed by the Lincoln Police Department.
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During the intense debate, Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha strode angrily out of the chamber after her shouted demands for a point of order were ignored during remarks by Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling personally criticizing her.
"Wow!" Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln said following that eruption, which grew out of an earlier exchange between Cavanaugh and Brewer prompted by the Omaha senator's expressed concerns about allowing people who might be armed into the gallery overlooking the floor during Thursday's debate.
"This is ridiculous," Pansing Brooks said. "That (criticism of Cavanaugh) should have been stopped. It was not kind, and it embarrassed our state, our colleague and our friend."
Friday's debate often turned angry and confrontational, prompting Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha to remark on the changes in the Legislature he has experienced since he returned as a senator in 2019 after being term-limited out in 2015 following two consecutive terms.
Lathrop, who decided not to seek reelection this year, said "I've been lied to in the last four years," declaring that "lying has become a tool" in the Legislature now.Â
"This culture has changed," he said, and it reflects the national political culture now.
"The culture has gone to hell," he said. "Everything's decided before it gets to the floor. This is choreographed now."
Responding to Lathrop's remarks and his approaching departure, Brewer said: "You have been a true professional. I do hate to see you leave. We are lesser for it."
Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk said Friday's decision for senators could be simply stated: "Where are you on gun rights?"