Police in Wyoming are worried about the direction of a concealed weapons bill there. Currently, to carry a weapon in Wyoming, you need to go through a background check and a training course to get a permit-- something most people think is reasonable. But that's not good enough for the gun lobby, so they've introduced a bill there to allow anyone who's able to carry a concealed weapon at any time.

Today, to carry a concealed gun in Laramie, you need to apply for a permit. If House Bill 78, which has passed the house and is currently in the senate, becomes law, you could carry without a permit — if you are a Wyoming resident 21 or older who can legally own a gun, are physically able to safely handle the gun and have not been committed to a facility for drug or alcohol abuse in the past six years. You would also have to inform police that you are armed if you are stopped.

Laramie’s police brass is hoping that this notification won’t be necessary, that the bill itself will die before becoming law.

“It’s not a healthy piece of legislation. It doesn’t do anything to advance public safety,” Laramie Police Chief Bob Deutsch said. “Our point of view does count, because we’re the people who are on the firing line with weapons out on the street.”

University of Wyoming Police Chief Tim Banks agreed with Deutsch and expressed concern that allowing people to carry firearms without permits would create an impossible enforcement environment for officers and open the door for problems that are successfully addressed by the current permit system.

“I support the right to possess firearms, but I think the restrictions that go along with the permit system are not unreasonable,” Banks said.

So even someone who supports concealed weapons (not a good idea as it is) is against this law. And of course the police point of view counts-- they're the ones out there facing these concealed weapons every day.

If you ask us, concealed weapons are dangerous no matter who's holding them, but it's especially dangerous to allow literally anyone to carry concealed weapons on the street without training or a permit.

If police stop someone who is armed, it is impossible to determine if that person is carrying legally under HB 78, UWPD Captain and Rep. Kevin White, R-Laramie, said. White opposed the bill in the house. For example, concealed weapons carriers are required to have lived in Wyoming six months, and a police officer in the middle of the night would be hard-pressed to determine how long someone has lived in the state. Similarly, a person’s mental health history isn’t available during a routine stop, and police would be forced to let people who are carrying illegally go because of the unenforceability of the bill, Banks said.

Deutsch said, “They could go out and buy a gun and strap it to their hip, and then if something comes up that would have prevented them from carrying a gun, we deal with it in reverse.”

Deutsch also worries that if there is an increase in people carrying concealed weapons his officers will have to shift away from friendly public service to “edgy vigilance.”

Just like they usually do, the NRA is doing their best to create dangerous legislation that "solves a problem" that doesn't actually exist.

Jane Warren, D-Laramie, opposed the bill and said that permitting is a necessity in all facets of public life. Warren also applauded the current system’s requirement that permit holders pass a gun safety course.

“If you want to build a room on your house, you need a permit. If you want to drive a car, you need a license. If you want to get married, you need a license. If you want to teach a class in school, you need certification,” Warren said. “It’s not broken. The (permit) system is working. It’s kind of a hassle, but what isn’t?”

So forget that concealed weapons are dangerous, and that it's a waste of money to even have a permit system in the first place if just anyone can haul a weapon around. Forget that police officers will be put in even more danger than they already are with this law, and as a result will probably end up ruining relations with their citizens. This bill just isn't necessary at all. There's got to be something better Wyoming lawmakers can do with their time besides trying to get a vote up for a dangerous bill that no one wants or needs.