Mike Wolanin | The Republic Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb speaks at a press conference at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Ind., Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. Gov. Holcomb was joined by base officials and officials from the Department of Homeland Security to mark the conclusion of Operation Allies Welcome. Nearly all the Afghan refugees housed at Camp Atterbury have been resettled.
7:30 p.m. update
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s governor on Monday vetoed a bill banning transgender females from participating in girls school sports while signing another measure eliminating the state’s permit requirement to carry handguns in public.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s decisions come after both measures faced intense opposition before being approved by the GOP-dominated legislature that embraced what have become a pair of conservative causes across the country.
Holcomb went against the vocal opposition of his state police superintendent to further the loosening of the state’s lenient firearms laws. The permit repeal, called “constitutional carry” by gun-rights supporters in reference to the Second Amendment, was criticized by major law enforcement groups who argued eliminating the permit system would endanger officers by stripping them of a screening tool for quickly identifying dangerous people who shouldn’t have guns.
Opponents of the transgender sports bill argued it was a bigoted response to a problem that doesn’t exist, with the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana saying it planned a lawsuit against what it called “hateful legislation.”
Republican sponsors of the bill said it was needed to protect the integrity of female sports and opportunities for girls to gain college athletic scholarship but pointed out no instances in the state of girls being outperformed by transgender athletes.
ORIGINAL STORY
BULLETIN:
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana governor vetoes banning transgender females from girls school sports, signs bill ending state’s gun permit requirement.
Statement released by Gov. Eric Holcomb and ISP on permit bill:
INDIANAPOLIS- Governor Eric J. Holcomb today signed HB 1296. The governor and ISP Superintendent Doug Carter issued the following statements.
“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.”- Gov. Eric J. Holcomb
“As Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, I have pledged my continued commitment to Governor Holcomb to work towards solutions enacting HEA 1296. I, like Governor Holcomb, feel enormous responsibility for front-line law enforcement officers. I will work with law enforcement leaders across our state to make necessary changes to firearms enforcement as well as finding the best way to identify individuals who are not allowed to carry a firearm as defined by Indiana statute.”
“We will continue to encourage citizens to apply for, and maintain, a firearms permit. A permit will assist law enforcement officers and will also allow a permit holder reciprocity with other states.”
-Superintendent Doug Carter, Indiana State Police
