LINCOLN — In a surprise, state lawmakers failed to muster enough votes Monday to advance a concealed carry handgun bill, called “constitutional carry” by some.

33 votes are required to invoke cloture, stop a filibuster, and advance a bill. Legislative Bill 773 fell two votes short by a vote of 31-9 with four fewer senators voting in favor than the number who supported advancing the bill from first-round debate.

“To say that I’m disappointed is an understatement,” said State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who has made passing the bill a priority during his six years in office.

The bill would have allowed Nebraskans to carry a concealed weapon without first obtaining a $100 state permit, undergoing a criminal background check, and passing a gun safety class.

In tandem with the Omaha police union and police department, Brewer had worked to negotiate a compromise on LB773 after they expressed concern about the bill watering down existing gun control ordinances in the state's largest city and complicating their job of reducing gun violence.

The proposed compromise would have allowed Omaha to maintain an ordinance that requires handguns to be registered. It would also have allowed for the continued prosecution of the crime "carrying a concealed handgun" if a concealed gun was used in a long list of "covered offenses."

However, the National Rifle Association urged a vote in opposition to the amendment, calling it a discriminatory attempt to place Omaha's extreme firearm registration requirement into state law."

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