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HB 2200

Crimes and punishments; increasing and deleting certain penalties; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Max Wolfley

HB 2200 creates a traffic infraction for leaving a firearm unattended in a vehicle without secure storage, punishable by up to $100 fine and mandatory locked storage.

Second Reading referred to Rules
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Bill Summary · HB 2200

Summary — Kansas HB 2200 (Introduced January 29, 2025)

Status: Referred to Committee on Federal and State Affairs
Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2025

Purpose / Intent

HB 2200 creates a new traffic infraction for leaving a firearm in an unattended vehicle unless the firearm is securely stored. The stated intent is to reduce thefts and unauthorized access to firearms from vehicles and to promote secure storage practices through education and dealer notices.

Key provisions

  • Creates a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100 for knowingly leaving a firearm in an unattended vehicle unless it is securely stored as required by the bill.
  • Storage requirements:
    • Handguns: must be in a locked, hard‑sided container placed out of plain view (a locked glove compartment or locked center console counts as a locked hard‑sided container). The container must be within one of:
    • a locked vehicle;
    • the locked trunk of a locked vehicle;
    • a locked truck‑camper; or
    • a locked recreational vehicle.
    • Firearms that are not handguns: must be in a locked hard‑sided or locked soft‑sided container. If stored in a soft‑sided container, a tamper‑resistant mechanical lock or other safety device must be engaged to render the firearm inoperable. The container must be placed in one of the same locations required for handguns.
  • Scope: Applies to unattended vehicles on highways, public property, private property open to the public, and parking lots/facilities.

  • Exemptions (non‑applicable to the offense):

    • Antique firearms (matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar ignition systems manufactured in or before 1898, or certain replicas not designed for modern fixed ammunition).
    • Firearms used for agricultural purposes while the vehicle is being used on the owner’s private farm/ranch.
    • Law enforcement officers.
    • Persons actively engaged in lawful hunting who hold a valid hunting license.
    • Persons instructing hunter education courses.
    • Active U.S. armed forces members while on duty.
    • People who report a firearm lost or stolen (if reported within 48 hours) are immune from penalties for the related violation.
    • Disability accommodation: a person “considered to have a disability” who stores a firearm in a locked soft‑sided container is not in violation with respect to that storage.

  • Education and dealer notice requirements:

    • The Office of the Attorney General (OAG), in coordination with the Kansas Highway Patrol, must create and conduct an educational campaign about secure firearm storage in vehicles.
    • OAG must create a public page on its concealed carry permit website with information about the unlawful storage rules.
    • OAG must produce a notice (black letters on white background; letters minimum one inch high) stating that unlawful storage in an unattended vehicle may result in a fine. Every licensed firearms dealer must conspicuously post this notice where firearms are sold (or a substantially similar warning).

  • Conforming change: Amends traffic infraction procedures (K.S.A. 8-2118) so the new offense is treated as a traffic infraction under existing procedures and fine schedules.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Gun owners who transport firearms and leave vehicles unattended in covered locations.
  • Licensed firearms dealers: required to post the OAG notice.
  • Law enforcement and courts: enforcement, citation issuance, prosecution or disposition of traffic infractions.
  • Exempt groups: law enforcement officers, active-duty military on duty, hunters during lawful hunting and related instructors, agricultural users on private farms/ranches, and certain antique firearm owners.
  • Persons with disabilities: receive accommodation for locked soft‑sided storage.

Fiscal and procedural impacts (from Fiscal Note — Division of the Budget)

  • Fine revenue: Potential increase in collection of fines and docket fees deposited to the State General Fund; amount unknown.
  • Judiciary: Potential increase in district court caseloads and associated operating expenditures; exact impact not estimated.
  • Attorney General: OAG can develop educational materials with existing resources, but estimates that defending potential constitutional litigation could cost more than $1.0 million per fiscal year (exact costs uncertain).
  • Kansas Highway Patrol: No fiscal impact anticipated.
  • Local governments: League of Kansas Municipalities notes potential increased training costs for municipal law enforcement; Kansas Association of Counties reports unknown fiscal impact.

Timeline / Next steps

  • Introduced: January 29, 2025.
  • If enacted, bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
  • Current legislative status (per information provided): Referred to Committee on Federal and State Affairs.

Note: This summary focuses on the Kansas HB 2200 materials provided (including the fiscal note). Separate documents with the same bill number from other states/sessions are unrelated and not summarized here.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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