If you take a gun to church and there’s a school on the same property, you are committing a felony in Indiana. A bill that will be considered in the General Assembly next year, could make it legal to carry at church, even if there is a school.
The bill (Senate Bill 33) is being introduced by state Sen. Jack Sandlin (R-Indianapolis), and is being brought up after the issue was hashed out by gun rights activists following the shooting at a Texas church earlier this year.
“If there is a school on the same grounds, that renders your church school property for purposes of the Indiana statute that says carrying on school property is a felony,” said Guy Relfor, the “Gun Guy”, a gun rights attorney and host of “The Gun Guy” on WIBC.
“A lot of folks who would like to have the ability to defend themselves and defend their family when they go to church and they go to worship, if there’s a school on that same property, on those same grounds, they’re precluded from doing so.”
Relford says he believes the bill being introduced will fix it by making an exception.
He said the bill will “carve out an exception for carrying in church legally, notwithstanding the fact that it’s on the same property as a school”.
Relford said he believes Indiana has gotten a lot right with gun laws.
“Relative to other states, our general assembly has basically gotten it right.” But, Relford, who has testified on gun issues at the State House, said he will be fighting for the new bill, as well as Constitutional Carry, the ability to carry a gun without a license. That is opposed by state police associations and others.