Nebraska lawmakers deny bill to raise fees for gun permits

Nebraska lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have raised the cost of a handgun permit from $5 to $25.

Lawmakers voted 27-17 on Tuesday to indefinitely postpone the measure, killing it for the rest of this year's session.

Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, the bill's sponsor, argues that the measure was necessary to help counties cover their costs. Blood says Nebraska's three largest counties have seen a sharp increase in the number of permit applications that need to be processed.

Blood says the Legislature's reluctance to allow such fee increases creates pressure on county boards to raise property taxes.

Gun-rights groups say the increase was too large and question whether it reflects the actual cost of processing permits.