Representative Koppelman told the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee that House Bill 1296 would make constitutional carry and permitted-carry rules consistent when a law enforcement officer asks whether a person is carrying and requests identification.

The bill’s sponsor said the change is intended to end an oddity in current North Dakota law under which someone carrying under constitutional carry must immediately declare to a law officer only when asked, but faces different documentary requirements than someone carrying with a class 1 permit. "We're trying to get parity," Representative Koppelman said. "This is something that's been discussed for several sessions."

Brian Gosch, a lawyer and registered lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, testified in support, saying other states with constitutional carry do not require immediate notice to law enforcement and have not reported problems. "There are no reported problems without that type of notice," Gosch said, adding that aligning the documentary requirement would make everyday encounters — for example, greeting a deputy at a diner — less awkward.

Koppelman described the bill as a narrow cleanup: under current law a person carrying under constitutional carry may have to tell an officer they are carrying if the officer asks; the bill would codify that the person must then produce the same identification document the officer would receive from a permit-holder. He said law-enforcement officers he’s spoken with "have not seen a problem with this change."

No witnesses spoke in opposition and the committee closed the hearing on HB 1296 without further action recorded in the transcript.

The hearing included only testimony and questions; no committee vote on the bill was recorded in the transcript.

Ending: The committee moved on to other bills after closing the HB 1296 hearing. The transcript shows the committee accepted supporting testimony and no formal opposition was recorded for this bill during the hearing.