BISMARCK — North Dakota House lawmakers voted Tuesday, Feb. 19, to create a new, more stringent class of concealed carry firearms licenses that would allow permit holders to pack heat at public gatherings.

House Bill 1206 would allow North Dakota residents to obtain a Class 1 “exempt” license with annual training that’s equivalent to what police and private security officers go through, according to its chief backer, Mandan Republican Rep. Todd Porter.

People holding the new licenses would be exempt from state law’s ban on possessing a firearm at a public gathering, which includes athletic events, schools, churches and public buildings.

“You can carry the same places a law enforcement or a private security officer can carry,” Porter said.

The bill would also exempt certain retired judges from the public gathering ban, as well as North Dakota’s members of Congress who maintain the same level of firearms proficiency as required for police officers.

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The bill sailed through the House in an 84-9 vote and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The state House also approved a separate bill Monday creating an “armed first responder in schools” program.