Opinion ID: 2541515
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Because Mitchell Had a Valid Concealed Carry License, His Discharge Was Contrary to KRS 527.020(4)

Text: KRS 237.110 authorizes the issuance of, and establishes standards for, concealed carry licenses. KRS 237.115 concerns the construction of KRS 237.110. It states, in relevant part, Except as provided in KRS 527.020, nothing contained in KRS 237.110 shall be construed to limit, restrict, or prohibit in any manner the right of a college, university, or any postsecondary education facility, including technical schools and community colleges, to control the possession of deadly weapons on any property owned or controlled by them.... KRS 237.115(1) (emphasis added). Thus, universities, including UK, have an implicit right to control the possession of deadly weapons on property under their control. But this right is qualified by KRS 527.020. KRS 527.020(8), discussed above, applies to persons regardless of whether they hold concealed carry licenses. KRS 527.020(4), by contrast, applies only to persons, like Mitchell, licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon: Persons, except those specified in subsection (5) of this section, licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon pursuant to KRS 237.110 may carry a firearm or other concealed deadly weapon on or about their persons at all times within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, if the firearm or concealed deadly weapon is carried in conformity with the requirements of that section. Unless otherwise specifically provided by the Kentucky Revised Statutes or applicable federal law, no criminal penalty shall attach to carrying a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon with a permit at any location at which an unconcealed firearm or other deadly weapon may be constitutionally carried. No person or organization, public or private, shall prohibit a person licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon from possessing a firearm, ammunition, or both, or other deadly weapon in his or her vehicle in compliance with the provisions of KRS 237.110 and 237.115. Any attempt by a person or organization, public or private, to violate the provisions of this subsection may be the subject of an action for appropriate relief or for damages in a Circuit Court or District Court of competent jurisdiction. (Emphasis added.) Only if the statute is ambiguous... or otherwise frustrates a plain reading, do we resort to the canons or rules of construction.... King Drugs, Inc. v. Commonwealth, 250 S.W.3d 643, 645 (Ky.2008) (citing Stephenson v. Woodward, 182 S.W.3d 162 (Ky.2005)). When the application of two statutes leads to an apparent conflict, this Court has a duty, to the extent possible, to harmonize the statutes and give force and effect to each. Spees v. Kentucky Legal Aid, 274 S.W.3d 447, 450 (Ky.2009); see also MPM Financial Group, Inc. v. Morton, 289 S.W.3d 193, 198 (Ky.2009). However, when statutory provisions are in conflict and cannot be harmonized, our duty is to construe the statutes so as to ascertain and give effect to the intent of the General Assembly. Johnson v. Branch Banking & Trust Co., 313 S.W.3d 557, 559 (Ky.2010). On its face, the emphasized portion of KRS 527.020(4) is not ambiguous. It forbids public and private organizations from imposing any prohibition on possession of a deadly weapon in a vehicle, provided that (1) the person so possessing is properly licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon, and (2) the person is in compliance with KRS 237.110 (which authorizes and regulates concealed carry licenses) and KRS 237.115 (which provides rules of construction for KRS 237.110). However, when KRS 527.020(4) is read in conjunction with KRS 237.115(1) and applied to this case, a clear conflict arises. KRS 237.115(1) allows institutions of postsecondary education to control weapons on their property, [e]xcept as provided in KRS 527.020.... However, KRS 527.020(4) refers to a person possessing a deadly weapon in his or her vehicle in compliance with the provisions of KRS 237.110 and 237.115. (emphasis added). This creates circularity in the two statutes, with each referring back to the other as controlling. To resolve this conflict, we look to the intent of the General Assembly. First, KRS 527.020(4), the provision relied upon by Mitchell, applies only to those licensed to carry concealed deadly weapons pursuant to KRS 237.110. KRS 237.115, the conflicting statute, provides guidance in the construction of KRS 237.110. However, KRS 237.110 itself provides a clear rule of construction, stating that [t]his section shall be liberally construed to carry out the constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense. KRS 237.110(19). This clearly expresses the legislature's intent and favors the right to bear arms of a concealed carry licensee. In addition, the General Assembly has expressed a strong public policy in favor of exempting a person's vehicle from restrictions on the possession of deadly weapons. For example, KRS 527.070, the statute that criminalizes possession of a weapon on primary and secondary school property, [4] specifically exempts an adult who possesses a firearm contained in his or her vehicle, provided the firearm is not removed. KRS 527.070(3)(a). KRS 237.106(1) specifically forbids any person (including an employer) from prohibiting a person from possessing a firearm in his or her vehicle, provided the person is legally entitled to possess the firearm. See also KRS 237.110(17) (forbidding private employers from prohibiting an employee from keeping a weapon is his or her vehicle, provided the employee has a concealed carry license). To the extent that KRS 527.020(4) and KRS 237.115(1) are in direct conflict, we hold that the conflict must be resolved in favor of KRS 527.020(4). We base this on the General Assembly's explicit statement that the concealed carry licensing statute is to be liberally construed in favor of the right to bear arms, as well as the legislature's clearly expressed policy of exempting a person's vehicle from firearms regulation. This interpretation best accomplishes the goal of giving effect to the words of both statutes. It also best harmonizes the two statutes by protecting the right of concealed carry licensees to store weapons anywhere in their vehicle, pursuant to KRS 527.020(4), while permitting universities to control [5] the possession of deadly weapons on all other property, pursuant to KRS 237.115(1), subject only to the general limitations of KRS 527.020. [6]