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Victory for Public Safety: Dangerous Gun Bills Defeated in Indiana Legislature

March 22, 2018

End of Legislative Season Marked Defeat of Dangerous Gun Bills That Would Have Allowed Loaded Handguns in Indiana Schools and Would Have Repealed the State’s Handgun Carry License Requirement

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded state legislators for rejecting dangerous bills that would have allowed people to carry loaded guns in Indiana schools and repealed the state’s license requirement for carrying a handgun in public. Last week’s close of the legislative session marked the defeat of the following bills:

  • SB 33, a bill that would have allowed civilians to exploit a loophole to carry loaded handguns, both openly and concealed, in Indiana elementary, middle, and high schools. Under SB 33, a person present at a school “in connection with” a worship service or religious ceremony, or working or volunteering at a house of worship located at the school, would have been allowed to carry a loaded handgun anywhere on the school’s premises. More information about SB 33 can be found here.
  • H 1424, a bill that would have allowed people to carry loaded handguns in public without a permit. Permitless carry would have dramatically lowered the bar for who can carry a handgun in public in Indiana—to include people with histories of violent or emotionally unstable behavior, certain weapons offenders, and people who have never passed a criminal background check. More information about H 1424 can be found here.

Throughout the session, Indiana Moms Demand Action volunteers from across the state urged lawmakers to listen to law enforcement and to their constituents and reject these dangerous proposals. The session followed a summer study committee last year during which Indiana law enforcement and Moms Demand Action volunteers urged lawmakers not to dismantle the state’s permit requirement for carrying a handgun in public. In a blow to the gun lobby, the committee did not recommend repealing the state’s license requirement.

Polling conducted last year showed that nine out of 10 Hoosiers support Indiana’s license requirement for carrying a loaded handgun in public.

STATEMENT FROM BETH SPRUNGER, VOLUNTEER WITH THE INDIANA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“After listening to constituents and to Indiana’s law enforcement community, our elected officials rejected a dangerous proposal to eliminate our state’s license requirement for carrying a handgun in public. They also wisely rejected a bill that would have allowed people to carry guns into Indiana schools.

Weakening Indiana’s gun laws would take us backward, not forward, and we’re grateful the legislature recognized that these dangerous proposals would have undermined public safety.”

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