Gun permit bill signed by Holcomb leaving Hoosiers with questions
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - A bill that allows most adults to carry handguns in public without a permit, will take effect this summer after Governor Eric Holcomb signed it into law Monday night.
House Bill 1296 allows most adults to carry handguns in public without a license. What does this mean for you?
The bill would not change the process to legally purchase a gun, Hoosiers would still need to complete the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives form and be approved by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
This bill drew opposition from numerous law enforcement organizations from state police, city police departments and the Fraternal Order of Police. All of those insist this bill will endanger the lives of officers.
William Owensby, the president or Indiana FOP, has concerns about this bill. He feels that people who are prohibited from owning a handgun will consider this law as permission to carry.
“Our fear this whole time is there is just no way, now that this bill has been signed, to identify a prohibited person. Is going to ultimately think they are able to legally carry a firearm now when they would not have been. They would have been previously identified under the previous process.”
Guy Relfort, a second amendment attorney, claims that opponents of the bill spread misinformation to pressure lawmakers and the governor into killing the bill.
“People were saying well this will do away with reciprocity and we won’t be able to travel to those other 32 states with a handgun anymore and that is completely false as well.”
State Senator Liz Brown, a Republican, says Indiana’s previous system was effective.
“Why I voted against the bill because I didn’t think it served my constituents well. An officer serving a warrant to your house can determine who is in the house and who they are, at least one of the ways is to see if you had a permit because all of those things have been checked.”
After signing the bill, Governor Holcomb sent out a statement. He cited similar laws in 23 other states. The law is set to go into effect July 1.
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