Gun-rights groups in Kansas are telling legislators that the state should allow its residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

The Kansas Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill ending a requirement for people wanting to carry concealed to get a state permit. The panel took no action.

A permit costs $132.50, and a person must undergo eight hours of training to get one.

Lobbyists for the National Rifle and Kansas State Rifle associations noted that Kansas law has long allowed the open carrying of weapons and said people shouldn’t need a state permit to exercise gun-ownership rights protected by the state and federal constitutions.

But Salina resident and NRA member David Nichols says he doesn’t want untrained people carrying concealed weapons.