By GREGG MONTGOMERY
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Governor Eric Holcomb on Monday signed a bill to do away with the state’s concealed carry permit requirement. Some police agencies, including the Indiana State Police, had opposed the measure.
House Bill 1296 had passed the Senate 30-20 and the House 69-30-1.
The Firearms Police Coalition, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that lobbies for gun rights, and another lobby group, the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action in Virginia, said Indiana is the 24th state to enact permitless carry legislation. Neighboring states Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan do not allow permitless carry.
In his reasoning for giving the bill his approval, the governor made the following statement:
Holcomb
“The Second Amendment has been debated for years, yet time and again our U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed this important constitutional right that I fully support.
“Twenty-three other states have laws comparable to HEA 1296. Vermont has had a constitutional carry law in place since it became a state, and several other states have had a similar law for more than a decade.
“HEA 1296, which I’ve signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our State. It’s important to note that if a person is prohibited, under federal or state laws, from possessing a firearm before this law goes into effect, that person will still be prohibited. And if a prohibited person has a firearm, he or she can be prosecuted.
“Firearm permits will remain available, without fee, to anyone who wants or needs one, such as Hoosiers desiring to carry a firearm to, through or in another state that has reciprocity with Indiana.”
The law will take effect July 1.