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Metal detectors and increased security presence will be the new norm at some high-profile hearings in the Nebraska State Capitol. Pictured is the first day the new protocol was rolled out for “annotated” hearings. Jan. 28, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will gather public feedback Monday on a proposal to add new security measures to the State Capitol, including a potential ban on firearms for the public.
The Executive Board will host a public hearing on Legislative Bill 1237 at noon on Monday. The board proposed the changes after consulting with security professionals in response to concerns about rising political violence nationally, according to State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, the board chair.
LB 1237, as written, would establish a list of weapons and substances that would not be allowed on Capitol grounds without prior approval, including firearms, pepper spray, explosives and spray paint. The bill also would direct the Nebraska State Patrol to implement ways to detect prohibited materials by Jan. 1, 2027.
The bill has drawn stiff criticism from gun-rights groups, including the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, which has made multiple social media posts opposing the bill. Its posts have called the bill’s co-signers, including all 10 members of the Exec Board, “oathbreakers.” The group has encouraged members of the public to testify against the bill.
“(LB 1237) is a willful violation of the oath of office and demonstrates a complete disregard to our innate right to have the means and tools to protect ourselves from illegal acts of violence,” the group said in several Facebook posts.
Hansen said the process that led to LB 1237 started last summer, when the Exec Board met with Capitol Security, Patrol members and legislative officials to discuss the possible options and recommendations for additional security measures in the seat of state government.
The discussions prompted Hansen to announce in November that the Legislature would enact some new security measures for the 2026 legislative session.
Patricia Harrold, president of the firearms group, said she was disappointed the Exec Board didn’t reach out to her group for these meetings. She called the lack of outreach “a missed opportunity.”
Lawmakers and the public saw the first examples of change from those meetings this week, when temporary metal detectors and additional security personnel were placed at the entry points to hearing rooms for a collection of public hearings on controversial bills regarding gender care introduced by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha.
Hansen said he was encouraged to see these hearings ran smoothly with the added security. Extra security will be installed outside hearing rooms for public hearings officials expect to receive high turnout, Hansen said. Additional security also will be added near entry points to the Capitol balconies for high-traffic debates on the legislative floor.
Hansen said committee chairs have the option to decline the additional security. He said he does not plan to have such measures in place for Monday’s hearing.
Hansen, who described himself as “one of the most pro-2nd Amendment” senators in the Legislature, said he didn’t expect to introduce a bill like LB 1237 when he first took office eight years ago. He indicated an openness to amending the bill after gathering public feedback.
“We need to find a kind of healthy balance between making sure the public can get here in a timely manner, we’re not restricting their rights too much,” Hansen said. “But also making sure that the people who enter this Capitol as guests, senators and staff are also safe.”
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Hansen said the matter warrants discussion because of what he sees as signs of increased risks at the Capitol, including larger protests. Among them, there was at least one in 2023 when protesters threw items from the balcony onto the floor. He said he is particularly concerned that fourth graders often visit the Capitol for field trips during the legislative session.
Last year saw multiple incidents of violence against state leaders across the U.S., including a fatal shooting of a Minnesota legislator and a fire-bombing in the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion.
Hansen, in a KOLN-TV story on the bill, compared lawmakers to “sitting ducks” as they work in the Capitol without security checkpoints. Harrold took issue with the description, arguing that Nebraska’s public schools and students are in greater need of protection.
“We find it somewhat hypocritical that their lives count more than our students,” Harrold said.
Hansen agreed with Harrold’s point that schools deserve more protection, saying he thinks Nebraska should “treat schools like airports.” He pointed to a separate bill he introduced in 2025, LB 631, which would allocate $4 million to fund the development of comprehensive maps of K-12 schools for better emergency response.
Harrold said NFOA opposes the firearm ban in LB 1237, calling it a “major affront” to constitutional rights. She noted that the first article of the Nebraska Constitution cements Nebraskans’ right to bear arms without state infringement.
Hansen said he doesn’t believe LB 1237 would breach constitutional rights because if it did so, “[lawmakers] would be unable to do this. It would go to court, and it would be found unconstitutional.”
Harrold said she also opposes the bill’s restrictions on other weapons, especially non-lethal self-defense tools like pepper spray. She argued banning such an expansive list of self-defense tools would make some Capitol visitors feel unsafe.
Harrold said she understands lawmakers’ concerns about rising political violence but said there are other alternatives to address the problem, such as elected officials being permitted to carry firearms at the Capitol.
Several among the 10 Exec Board members who co-sponsored LB 1237 have been vocally supportive of 2nd Amendment rights. Hansen said board members have differing viewpoints on the most effective security options, but all members favor some form of additional security.
State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, another board member and chair of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, supports increasing Capitol security. However, he said he hasn’t made up his mind yet on the bill. He said he signed on “as a courtesy” and admitted he hadn’t read the full bill before doing so.
Clements said he is sensitive to concerns about the potential 2nd Amendment infringements in LB 1237 and said he would listen for feedback at Monday’s hearing. However, he said he shared Hansen’s concerns about school children visiting the Capitol without at least some additional safety measures in place.
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