INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana House on Tuesday easily passed two gun bills – one related to the right to bear arms and another regarding public access to firearms permits.
House Bill 1068 passed by a vote of 85-11 and would close public access to the state database of Hoosiers who have permits to carry a handgun in public.
In Indiana, residents can have a handgun in their home or personal business without a license.
But if they want to carry the gun in public, they must buy a permit from the Indiana State Police.
The bill arose after two newspapers recently obtained the database and wrote stories.
One found the Indiana State Police approved gun permits in Lake and Marion counties for people with violent and sometimes criminal histories over the objection of local police.
The other used aggregate data to show the incidence of gun permits in various counties.
Those in support of the bill said citizens have a right to privacy about their permits or whether they choose not to have a gun.
“The First Amendment does not minimize the Second Amendment,” said Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville.
Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne, voted against the legislation, noting one of the stories uncovered a serious problem in the permit process. “What we don’t know hurts us greatly,” he said.
All other area representatives supported the bill.
The second piece of legislation – House Bill 1065 – would allow employees to have guns in their locked vehicles at work.
Many companies have policies against bringing firearms onto their property.
It passed 76-21 with supporters saying employees should have the right to have handguns in their cars for protection to and from work and opponents arguing it violates personal property rights.
Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, mocked the bill by pulling out a toy gun and saying Hoosier children should be signed up as members of the National Rifle Association when they are born and have guns placed in their lunchboxes for protection.
“In all seriousness,” he said, “I believe that guns give you false courage.”
All area representatives supported the measure except Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne.
Both bills will advance to the Senate, where similar legislation has already passed or is pending.
Senate to consider gambling measure
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 10-2 Tuesday to approve a wide-ranging gambling bill.
Senate Bill 405, which now moves to the full Senate for consideration, contains a number of provisions meant to make the gambling industry in Indiana more competitive as other states join the fray.
But the committee removed a significant portion of the bill that would have allowed the state’s current riverboats to convert to land-based operations in the same city or county they where reside for a one-time $50 million fee. The owner of the two Majestic Star casinos in Gary could have avoided the fee by giving up his second license to the state.
The committee received mixed signals from the casino association on land-based gambling and decided to eliminate the provision.
The possibility of an open license is what is driving the Fort Wayne and Steuben County conversations.
But there is no provision in the bill that would allow a referendum vote on gambling, something sought by Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry.
