Mr. Lyons: Thank you Mayor. Well as you might imagine, I am going to oppose this. I look as this from a standpoint of what is really the right thing for Overland Park. And I can’t imagine, that allowing people to carry weapons down Santé Fe, and downtown Overland Park, is the right thing to do. Or anywhere else in the city of Overland Park. I’m very sensitive to the image we want to present for Overland Park, and, and ah, I don’t believe allowing open carrying of weapons is an image we want to project.
We were just voted one of the top ten cities in the country, and I don’t believe this matches that. I do understand the argument that I am hearing, that in a way we’re being forced to do this because of an Attorney General’s Opinion. In my view our energizes would be better spent in lobbying our legislature to change the law. Because in a city like Overland Park for someone to carry, open carry a weapon in the city of Overland Park, they really have only one purpose. Ah, and that is to make a statement. And that statement is to either intimidate somebody, or to protest.
There is no purpose for carrying a weapon in terms of self-protection. Overland Park is one of the safest cities in the United States. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to carry a weapon in Overland Park, Open carry a weapon in Overland Park, in order to protect themselves or protect somebody else, other than our law enforcement people. Um. So therefore the only reason we’re going to do that is trying to in my view if their trying to intimidate somebody. They want to show that they have a certain power the people around them do not have. And I think that, that sends a very bad message, and I recognize the fact that we’e doing this because the fact that the State Legislature is putting us into this position that in my view we better put this on our legislative agenda, to take forward to the State Legislature to say we don’t like this. That the cities should have the power to control Open Carry of weapons. Um, it’s a lot different if I was out in western Kansas on my ranch and wanted to go out and shoot a snake out in my field that’s one thing but in the city of Overland Park there is no purpose for that, so therefore I am going to oppose this because I don’t believe it’s right. I do recognize of what I’m hearing that we’re in a way being forced to do this, but, but, I think rather than us taking an overt action to change our ordinance, I would rather see us being forced to do so by a court. And therefore then we can lobby our legislature to change the law but doing an overt action to me sends the wrong message.
Originally Posted by bxm042
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