Indiana House Votes To Eliminate License To Carry A Handgun In State
The Indiana House of Representatives passed on Monday a measure that would drop the need for a license to carry a handgun within the state — a move largely seen as a nod to the Second Amendment rights.
The House Bill 1369 secured a 65-31 vote in favor of the proposal that seeks to “repeal the law that requires a person to obtain a license to carry a handgun in Indiana.”
“Certain persons who are not otherwise prohibited from carrying or possessing a handgun are not required to obtain or possess a license or permit from the state to carry a handgun in Indiana,” the proposal read.
It noted, however, that certain offenders could still be prohibited from carrying handguns.
The proposal authored by Republican Rep. Ben Smaltz is now headed to the state’s Senate. If passed, the bill would eliminate the license requirement in March 2022.
“This bill is for the lawful citizens in the state of Indiana,” Smaltz said. “This bill is for the person who obeys our laws who right now has to jump over the hurdles to be the person that gets the permit.”
Backers of the proposal argued that the current permit process appears to be a “punishment” for law-abiding citizens — they also noted that they shouldn’t have to pay for a right already guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the Constitution which is the right to bear arms.
Meanwhile, police forces in Indiana sounded skeptic about the proposal, quoted in reports as saying that dropping the screening processes for a license would only put more guns on the streets.
“I think we are all very strong supporters of the second amendment. By repealing processes like this that are good screening mechanisms, we are going to put more guns out on the street, and there are going to be people that should not be carrying them, will be carrying them,” said Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly with the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police.
At present, certain requirements are needed to be able to apply for a license to carry a gun in Indiana: you have to be 18 or older, be able to register online, schedule an appointment to have your fingerprints taken, and complete local law enforcement agency processing within 180 days.
The move to end the requirement for a permit to carry a gun in the state comes after Montana also dropped its permit rules last week.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill that will allow Montanans to carry concealed without first needing a permit. #NRA #2Ahttps://t.co/kb8YFtmvbI
— America's 1st Freedom (@NRAA1F) February 22, 2021
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is also pushing to pass a similar proposal that would drop the permit requirement in the state.
This is why elections matter! Thank you, Tennessee Gov. @BillLeeTN, for reintroducing Constitutional Carry.
We must pass this CRUCIAL legislation and stand for the Second Amendment rights of all Tennesseans. pic.twitter.com/xbjhAYb1iP
— NRA (@NRA) February 10, 2021
Meanwhile, the other states that already eliminated the need to secure a concealed permit in order to carry a gun within their states are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
