A bipartisan collection of the Legislature's most powerful lawmakers Thursday declined to impede plans to open the Capitol to all visitors with a concealed-gun permit on July 1.

During the 2014 session, legislators and building employees with the appropriate license could bring hidden handguns into the Statehouse. Tens of thousands of Kansans with the same permit were blocked, but that will change with implementation of new security protocol.

Senate President Susan Wagle and House Speaker Ray Merrick, both Republicans, said they welcomed the Legislative Coordinating Council's decision to accept without comment expansion of self-defense rights of individuals lawfully carrying hidden firearms. The council didn't even place the issue on the day's agenda.

"There will be no one in the Capitol who doesn't have a license to carry," Wagle said. "A license to carry requires a background check and education."

She said renovation of the domed structure resulted in security upgrades that should make employees and the public feel safer, but the new conceal-and-carry status should promote peace of mind.

The Statehouse shouldn’t be viewed any differently than other state buildings, county courthouses or university facilities across the state in terms of concealed weapon law, she said.

"We can't be hypocritical," Wagle said. "We either believe that it increases safety and that anyone who has a license is a legitimate individual who seeks not to harm anyone else or you don't believe it."

Gov. Sam Brownback and the Legislature created law in 2013 making it legal to carry a concealed weapon in public buildings unless the structure was staffed by security personnel and equipped with metal detectors. The Capitol's main entrances have higher levels of security, but the council had authority to stop general conceal-and-carry with a determination security remained inadequate.

The Capitol in Topeka welcomes from 150 to 500 visitors each business day.

Patricia Stoneking, president of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said the shift at the Capitol was an important extension of a philosophy that weapons in the hands of responsible people improved public safety.

"The taxpayers pay for this building," she said after the council's meeting. "We're talking a civil right — not a privilege."

She said she would likely begin carrying a concealed handgun into the building and estimated as many as 50 of the state's 165 legislators had done likewise during the previous session.

The coordinating council, which includes House and Senate members of both parties, will convene behind closed doors in July to receive a thorough briefing on the status of security in the Capitol.

Wagle said the meeting Thursday wasn’t the proper forum for a close examination of law enforcement issues by the council and the Kansas Highway Patrol. Security is handled by the Capitol Police, an arm of the KHP.

"I don't know if we want real detailed information right now. I think we'd rather do that in executive session," she said.

Implementation details haven't been formalized, officials said, but the assumption is security screening will continue for Capitol visitors. Holders of concealed-gun permits would be required to present the license to security guards at entrances. Open carry in the Statehouse would continue to be banned, officials said.