Alva Review-Courier -

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are facing a midsummer deadline to approve costly security upgrades for state hospitals and mental institutions in order to keep in place a four-year-old ban on concealed weapons inside the facilities.

While the conservative state frequently embraces pro-gun policies, this debate is unique. Even Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and GOP lawmakers who are strong supporters of concealed carry don't want the exemption for hospitals to disappear, fearing the prospect of guns around mental patients or in areas with specialized equipment.

Absent a change in existin...