Legislators back off plan to do away with gun permits

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Legislators have backed off a plan to do away with gun permits in Indiana.

Instead of requiring a license to carry a gun, the House voted to have State Police create a list of people who aren’t allowed to carry one. 21 Republicans co-sponsored the bill in the Senate, but President Pro Tem Rod Bray (R-Martinsville) says some Republicans were uncomfortable with the proposed no-carry list, viewing it as another government database. Bray says the creation of a list of ineligible people, including convicted felons, some people with mental illness, and those dishonorably discharged from the military, may run afoul of federal law.

House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) says House Republicans would prefer a permitless carry bill, but says Senate Republicans’ support for abolishing the fee for lifetime gun permits represents a step forward. The fee has already been abolished for five-year licenses. The repeal of the 75-dollar lifetime fee has been incorporated into the Senate budget bill, along with money to make up the lost revenue to local police departments.

Senate Republicans also passed a nonbinding resolution declaring the Senate’s support for the Second Amendment and vowing to oppose any local or federal restrictions on gun rights.