Officials strive for balance between safety, openness with Capitol security

By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

Feb. 23, 2026, 5 p.m. ·

Inscription above Nebraska Capitol's north entrance (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News) — Inscription above Nebraska Capitol's north entrance. (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News)

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The Legislature continued debate Monday on tightening security at the state Capitol, wrestling to balance concerns for safety with openness for the public.

Debate on the proposal (LB1237) to keep guns out of the Capitol by positioning metal detectors and State Patrol officers at Capitol entrances began Friday. On Monday, Sen. Ben Hansen said that an amendment allowing holders of concealed carry permits to still bring guns inside made the bill acceptable to a gun rights group and a leading gun rights proponent, former senator and retired Army colonel Tom Brewer.

“Over the weekend, we did get some feedback from the Nebraska Firearms Association, and they did now change their opposition to neutral, slightly in favor because of the amendment. And I also heard back from my good friend, Colonel Brewer, who mentioned that the bill will relieve the concerns and make it fair and a reasonable option,” Hansen said.

Some 36 states had metal detectors in their capitols, and 29 had x-ray equipment as of 2021, according to a survey that year by the Council of State Governments.

Much of Monday’s debate involved practical questions of how the bill would be implemented. Sen. Danielle Conrad proposed an amendment to specify that there would be no special treatment for lobbyists or the groups that employ them.

“I want to ensure that there is no VIP pass now or moving forward. This is not a country club. This is the people's house, which is meant to put the people's work first,” Conrad said.

Sen. Megan Hunt also expressed concern about the effect of a new law on people who sometimes turn out by the hundreds for public hearings.

“I don't want them waiting to go through a metal detector or something if I don't have to do the same exact thing -- if staff, if lobbyists, don't have to do the same exact thing,” Hunt said.

Conrad’s amendment lost on a vote of 22-15, with Hansen later saying it was unnecessary.

“According to policy right now, lobbyists are treated the same as the public," he said. "They do not have badges like staff and senators do. So when this bill… gets passed and gets implemented, they will still have to use the same entrance as the public will."

The State Patrol estimates an annual cost of about $1.5 million to cover two entrances, or about $950,000 to cover one.

Sen. Wendy DeBoer noted that metal detectors are already used for admission to public hearings where especially controversial or emotional topics are being discussed. She asked Hansen if admitting people carrying guns into the building simply because they’d been through the training to get a concealed weapons permit might actually decrease security.

“I would be a little concerned about having folks, even though they've been through training, coming in with a weapon into those hearings," she said. "And I think we would be moving backwards on our security in those particular hearings. I think if I were wanting to create mischief in those kinds of hearings, if I understood the assignment was, I had to have a concealed carry permit, couldn't I get one?”

“If you wanted to do evil things, yes, you could do that. They could go out there and nefariously get the carry concealed license and carry in here to do harm. But right now they don't need any of that stuff. They can just walk in here do that anyway,” Hansen replied.

Conrad also asked about how the new policy might affect existing restrictions on weapons in different parts of the Capitol.

“You're allowing access to the building for Nebraskans who have a concealed carry permit. But then what happens once they attain access, if they're going to watch Supreme Court oral arguments, or if they're going to attend a function in the governor's hearing room, because those have different security features and prohibitions and restrictions in place?” she asked.

Sen. John Fredrickson, a member of the Executive Board that unanimously endorsed the proposal, said that would not be a problem, at least so far as the Court is concerned.

“My understanding is that the Supreme Court is not planning to change their policy, and so they would not be impacted. So the same thing would happen if this were to pass as it does today. If an individual shows up to the Supreme Court and they have a firearm, they are turned away,” Fredrickson said.

Hunt said she still opposes the proposal.

“I don't think that this needs to be a law. I do trust our State Patrol to keep people in this building safe. They are armed. They investigate threats, and they already have the responsibility of keeping senators, staff, visitors, testifiers, lobbyists -- everybody in this building -- safe, and that work is happening right now every day, without the unanswered questions that this bill as amended creates,” she said.

But Sen. Ashlei Spivey indicated she’s open to the change.

“Currently in the state that we have for the Capitol, I do not feel as safe in this space, and so I appreciate the attempts of trying to figure that out,” Spivey said.

Those attempts to figure it out will continue with further debate, and a possible first round vote, on Tuesday.