Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s meeting with legislative leaders over security issues has been pushed back a few days, but some lawmakers feel pretty safe in the Capitol as it is.

Dayton wants to meet with lawmakers to discuss Capitol safety after the Arizona shootings raised question about public officials’ security.

Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, is one of a few lawmakers who carry concealed handguns in the Capitol.

“I feel really safe knowing there are so many people around carrying,” Cornish said from his desk at the front of the House chamber.

The Public Safety Department reports it has been notified that 370 other people said they also may carry guns in the marble-domed building.

State law requires anyone planning to pack a gun in the Capitol to notify the public safety commissioner and anyone wanting to carry a gun into a courthouse to notify the local sheriff. Law enforcement officers are exempt.

To be legal, anyone carrying a concealed weapon must have a permit.

Cornish, the Lake Crystal police chief, said sheriffs are careful about who gets permits, and they may deny permit requests even if a person has no convictions on his record.

Notifying the commissioner about plans to carry a gun in the Capitol may not mean a lot, and there is no way to know how many people actually pack pistols there. With no metal detectors, and plenty of resistance to adding them, a person could have a gun hidden under a jacket and Capitol security officers may never know.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, is another lawmaker who carries a gun. The former Douglas County sheriff said that he does not support metal detectors in the Capitol, but security officers always can use more training to spot those who might cause problems.

The names of those packing in the Capitol are secret and Public Safety Department officials refused to go through their list to see how many lawmakers carry guns. Cornish said he only knows of two or three who carry.

“It’s such a huge responsibility,” Cornish said of carrying a gun.