Repeal of Indiana's handgun carry permit is ripped out of House bill

In a surprise move, an Indiana House committee completely stripped a bill of language that would have repealed Indiana's permit requirement to carry a handgun.

Bill author Rep. Timothy Wesco introduced Wednesday an amendment voiding his own bill at the start of the House Public Policy committee meeting, surprising the law enforcement officers who came to testify against the proposal due to safety concerns.

"Forget the original bill," the Elkhart Republican said.

The change came a day after two people were killed and 18 were injured at a mass shooting at a high school in Western Kentucky. The tragedy wasn't mentioned at the committee hearing.

Wesco said there had been some general concerns among House Republicans about the original bill.

House Speaker Brian Bosma previously said he didn't see the point of permit-less carry.

The amended bill would now simply remove the fee for a lifetime permit and extend the four-year permit to five years. Under the new language, those who pay the fee for the five-year permit would be exempt from future background checks when purchasing a firearm over those next five years.

Hoosiers trying to obtain either permit would still need to go through a background check.

"We operate in the realm of possibility and what we passed out was possible and had broad support," Wesco said. "Can't get a better bill than that."

More: More guns at Statehouse lead to safety concerns among some lawmakers

More: House vote makes Sunday alcohol sales likely, but it's not quite a done deal yet

More: Senate panel advances bill to legalize CBD oil

Lawmakers studied the possibility of removing the permit requirement during an interim study committee this fall, but didn't make a conclusive recommendation on whether or not permit-less carry should be allowed.

Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, introduced a similar permit-less carry proposal this session for the fourth consecutive year.

Lucas has consistently argued that Hoosiers shouldn't need to get a permit to exercise a constitutional right under the second amendment.

He reluctantly voted yes on the amended bill, saying he was going to "hold my nose while doing it."

"I will continue to fight to restore our constitutional right," Lucas said, "but since this is moving the ball forward in an incremental step, not to my liking, but I will accept it and work with the chairman."

Since the amendment removes the fee for the lifetime permit, the legislation would reduce revenue for both state and local units of government.

A lifetime permit costs Hoosiers $125 and a short-term permit costs $40.

In 2017, the licensing fee for both the short- and long-term licenses brought in $7.1 million in state revenues, according to a fiscal analysis from the Legislative Services Agency. Most of the fee revenue came from lifetime permits.

Local units receive $50 for every resident who purchases a lifetime permit under current state law. Most goes toward police officer training.

The bill would go into effect in 2019, so state and local officials would have time to fix the resulting budget holes.

The committee endorsed the amended bill by a 12-1 vote. It now heads to the full House for consideration.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at (317) 432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.