Rep. Ryan Lauer
Local law enforcement officials say they are prepared for a new gun law taking effect today that has received public opposition from the state police superintendent and some major law enforcement organizations.
The law, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in March, eliminates Indiana’s handgun permit requirement, allowing allow anyone age 18 or older to carry a handgun in public except for reasons such as having a felony conviction, facing a restraining order from a court or having a dangerous mental illness, The Associated Press reported.
Supporters argue the permit requirement undermined Second Amendment protections by forcing law-abiding citizens to undergo police background checks that can take weeks.
The law’s opponents, including State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, as well as the leaders of the state Fraternal Order of Police, police chiefs association and county prosecutors association, say the new law strips police of a screening tool for identifying dangerous people who shouldn’t have guns.
“It’s often so easy to talk about your support for public safety,” Carter said. “But if you choose to support this bill, you will not be supporting us.”
The bill was co-authored by Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, who has said he is proud of the law and will “continue to defend our God-given Constitutional rights and freedom.”
In Bartholomew County, law enforcement officials say the new law makes it more difficult for them to determine if somebody is unlawfully carrying a weapon but now are prepared to adapt.
Before today, Indiana required people to obtain a license to carry a loaded handgun outside their own homes, businesses and cars, although people could generally carry rifles and shotguns without a permit.
Under the previous system, when officers ran checks on a license plate or driver’s license, they would be notified whether the individual had a valid carry permit, officials said.
In addition, people usually notify the officers during a traffic stop that they have a firearm in the vehicle and show them their permit, which officials said could be quickly verified.
Now, “we’ll have no idea” if people who are carrying a handgun without a permit are doing so illegally, and figuring out whether they are prohibited from carrying will be “time-consuming,” said Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Dave Steinkoenig.
“It definitely ties our hands some,” Steinkoenig said. “…I think the most important thing that it’s going to do is it’s going to create more work on our end.”
“Without that permit, it will be time-consuming to look into each individual’s criminal history to make sure that they’re legally allowed (to carry),” Steinkoenig added.
The Columbus Police Department has been preparing for the new law, said CPD spokesman Lt. Matt Harris.
On Thursday, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office was expected to meet with CPD officers to go over the new gun law “so that we can speak directly with them and help get some guidance,” Harris said.
“This is obviously a pretty big change into how persons are allowed to go about the process of carrying a weapon,” Harris said.
“It does make it a little more difficult on the officer,” Harris added later in the interview. “…There are going to be some different challenges on the law enforcement end to determine who might be prohibited to carry a weapon. Officers are able to determine pretty quickly via the permit system who has a permit and whether they don’t.”
For their part, CPD and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department say they are prepared and ready to enforce the new law.
“There’s stuff out there that as law enforcement that we agree with and that we don’t agree with,” Steinkoenig said. “But there’s a process behind those decisions, and whether our opinion is taken into account or not … that’s just something that we have to enforce.”
