The Indiana House has approved a bill to allow those protected by an order of protection to carry handguns without a license.
The measure by Rep. Sean Eberhart passed Tuesday on a 71-26 vote and now heads to the Senate.
The Shelbyville Republican says the bill would allow domestic violence victims to protect themselves without waiting for approval of a handgun license.
Democrats say the measure is a “Trojan horse” designed to erode reasonable firearms restrictions. They say statistics show many gun owners are killed with their own weapons.
The bill also includes a provision calling for a special committee to study the elimination of Indiana’s handgun licensing requirement.
Republican Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour says doing away with the state’s licensure requirement is his ultimate goal.
(story by AP)