Indiana bills loosening gun restrictions advance, one week after Florida shooting

Exactly one week after 17 people were killed in a Florida high school shooting, lawmakers advanced bills that opponents say would loosen firearm restrictions.

Bills that would change background check requirements, waive the lifetime handgun carry permit fee and clarify that people can bring firearms onto church grounds, even if a school is on the premise, passed out of Senate and House committees Wednesday.

"It’s a tough time to consider anything that at all appears like we are making it easier to purchase a gun in the state of Indiana," Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson said. "We shouldn’t be relaxing, we shouldn't be revoking fees, which is what we’re doing here. We ought to be reassessing."

House Bill 1424 gets rid of the $125 fee for a lifetime handgun carry permit, and increases the four-year handgun carry permit to five years. Hoosiers who obtain both permits would be subject to a federal NICS background check.

Those who obtain the lifetime permit would still need to undergo a background check any time they purchased a firearm. Those who choose the five-year, $40 permit, however, would be exempt from future background checks when purchasing a firearm over those five years.

Opponents of the measure were concerned that individuals who committed crimes after they received their short-term licenses would still be able to purchase a firearm because of the lack of an additional background check.

► Our best subscription deal of the year: Just $9.99 for one full year of IndyStar coverage.

► Get more politics news: Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosier Politics newsletter

► Indiana gun laws: What you need to know

Indiana State Police regularly revoke permits when people commit certain crimes once local police departments and courts send that information to the state. Those selling firearms would be able to check online to see if Hoosiers' permits are still valid, instead of relying on the paper permit itself.

Police officers who testified on the bill Wednesday said the system worked most of the time.

Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, however, questioned how effective the process of revoking permits is.

"The bottom line is once you get past this more stringent background check initially, you have a five year period to go stock up on guns without doing a background check," Taylor said.

The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary committee by a 7-3 vote and heads to the Senate floor for a vote. Previously the entire Senate unanimously passed a Senate bill that similarly allowed those with short-term handgun carry permits to abstain from future firearm checks over those five years.

Lanane, who voted for the similar Senate bill, said it was natural for him to look at this House bill differently after last week's shooting.

"Everything has changed since then," Lanane said.

Other lawmakers said that it's becoming clear to them that "gun free zones" are more dangerous than areas where guns may be carried. Republican Reps. Jim Lucas and Ben Smaltz expressed that sentiment during Wednesday's meeting of the House public policy committee. The committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 33, which would allow guns to be carried on church grounds, even if there are schools on the property.

"We just need to eliminate gun free zones," Lucas said, "and recognize the right of a lawful person to go on a property without fear of prosecution or being charged with a felony."

Churches that also house schools have said they just want to be treated like every other church that doesn’t have a school on its campus.

Churches without schools can allow lawful carriers of firearms to carry on church property, during worship services and other times. Individual school boards may set policies to allow certain people to carry firearms on school property, too.

Should the bill pass, it will be legal to carry guns into churches that also serve as schools, unless those properties set a policy prohibiting it. The bill now heads to the House floor. If it passes there, it will return to the Senate for a final vote on its amended language. It passed that chamber earlier this month, 43-5.

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