As a study committee of legislators prepares to meet next week to develop a recommendation for the rest of the legislature on whether to move forward with a permitless carry bill, the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, urges Indiana legislators to strongly oppose this dangerous proposal that would make it legal to carry loaded handguns in public without a permit.
Just last week, Vice President Mike Pence spoke in Indianapolis about the need to prevent gun violence. As our community leaders and public officials work to do just that, the last thing our lawmakers should do is make that work harder by eliminating common-sense public safety laws that help law enforcement officers protect our communities.
And yet that’s exactly what permitless carry would do: let people carry loaded handguns in public without a permit.
The study committee is scheduled to start next week despite overwhelming public support for Indiana’s existing permit requirement. According to a poll of more than 1000 Indiana residents conducted earlier this year, nine in ten Indiana adults – including 84 percent of gun owners – support requiring a permit in order to carry a loaded handgun in public in Indiana.
Of the 28 states that have considered permitless carry bills this year, only two have enacted this dangerous legislation and 20 have rejected it. Law enforcement officials and groups have expressed grave concerns about permitless carry in Indiana and in many other states, including North Dakota, Missouri, South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Lawmakers should listen to Indiana law enforcement groups and Hoosier constituents to make sure permitless carry does not become the law in Indiana.
###