November 4, 2007: A man is shot in the leg outside of a nightclub in north Lawrence. The man was shot following an altercation outside of the club “AllStars,” and was later treated for gunshot wounds. The situation may sound like a one-time occurrence, but there have been multiple instances in recent years involving individuals carrying weapons near nightclubs.
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According to data provided by the City of Lawrence Police Department, the number of weapon law violations in Lawrence has grown every year from 2002 to 2006. In 2002 there were 11 weapon law violations reported in Lawrence. This number rose to 28 by 2005, and there were a grand total of 36 violations reported in 2006. Through June of 2007 there were 18 weapon law violations. Data is only collected bi-annually, so information for the second half of 2007 is not yet available.
The rise in incidents involving guns in public places like bars and nightclubs have caused City of Lawrence officials as well as police to enact many new policies as to how to handle situations involving citizens with guns.
Lawrence Police Sgt. Paul Fellers says the rise in guns around clubs has been something that’s been building for many years.
“In the late ‘90s we say a steady rise in the amount of young people carrying guns willing to act out,” Fellers said. “We knew something needed to be done to help this problem.”
Fellers said the police department attempts to limit gun problems using a program called Gun Stoppers. The program is designed to get illegal guns off the street, by offering rewards for tips from citizens that may know of people carrying illegal weapons. Illegal weapons are not only limited to concealed weapons in illegal areas, but also guns such as sawed-off shotguns and fully automatic rifles. Citizens whose tips lead to the seizure of a weapon receive a $100 reward.
Jerry Little, Lawrence City Prosectuer, says that the gun problem at clubs in Lawrence can mostly be traced to a single club. The club is Last Call, located at 729 N.H. In 2006 shots were fired outside of Last Call, and according to Little, guns had frequently found outside of the club.
“For whatever reason, the clientele that Last Call brings in is primarily from Topeka and Kansas City," Little said. "And for whatever reason those people have had a tendency to bring guns.”
Last Call owner Dennis Steffes didn’t return my calls.
The primary step Lawrence officials have taken to curb weapon problems at clubs to date has been a city ordinance. In 2006, the Lawrence city commission passed ordinance 14-408, which made carrying a concealed weapon in or within 200 feet of any bar or nightclub illegal. The ordinance covers weapons on people as well as in vehicles. According to data from the Lawrence Municipal Court, there have been 22 instances in which people have been charged with carrying weapons in or near a bar since the ordinance was passed, with five leading to convictions. 11 of the cases are still pending, and the other six cases have either been dismissed or diverted. Lawrence Police have said the ordinance has helped keep Lawrence safe.
“In any situation where you’ve got that many people in a small area, having guns around is going to be dangerous,” Fellers said. “The city’s ordinance on carrying guns in or around bars has been of great help in keeping people safe. It has helped up a great deal.”
The next step the city took was to lobbying the state Alcoholic Beverage Control to have Last Call’s liquor license revoked. Each year, the city of Lawrence examines each establishment and makes a recommendation to the state ABC on whether or not to renew a club or bar’s liquor license for the next year. For the most part, licenses are always renewed. However the city decided Last Call hadn't done enough to keep the club safe.
“99 percent of the time the place is renewed,” Vice-mayor Michael Dever said. “But we felt like Last Call wasn’t doing all it could to be a safe place, so we made the recommendation that they have their license revoked.”
The decision to recommend Last Call's license not be renewed wasn't finished though. The ABC conducted its own investigation to decide whether of not Last Call would remain open. The ABC agreed, and after the investigation announced that the state would not renew Last Call’s liquor license on November 31. The ABC cited drug use inside the club as the reason for its license revocation, not weapons problems, claiming that the club couldn’t be held responsible for weapons found outside of a club.
While the ordinance regarding weapons near clubs is the only piece of legislation currently passed by the city, the city commission has considered a second step in attempt to keep weapons out of bars and clubs. In August, City Manager Dave Corliss suggested that the city adopt a system in which bars and clubs apply for a special use permit. In the case of Corliss’ idea, all bars and nightclubs in Lawrence would be required to apply for a special use permit in order to serve alcohol, operate late and have a certain amount of people in the establishment. The city would grant the special use permit if it saw fit, but would be able to revoke the permit if the city thought the club wasn’t doing all that was necessary to promote safety. If an establishment lost their special use permit, it would be forced to close immediately. Despite some support of the plan to license clubs with special use permits, the city commission decided unanimously to table the idea.
“I’m not a big fan of more government rules when we have a system now that should take care of it,” Dever said. “The concern is that the extra layer of rules won’t actually lead to any more compliance. It may just lead to more red tape.”
Dever did say that the idea of using special use permits would be revisited if problems persisted. Under the special use permit system a club’s license could be revoked for as little as one violation. Dever also said that the existing laws allowing the carry of guns would also hinder any more legislation the Lawrence could pass regarding the carrying of weapons.
“Carrying a concealed weapon with a permit is legal, so there’s very little we can do about that,” Dever said. “This limits us in other legislation we can pass.”