With the General Assembly session underway, it is critically important that you contact your State Senator and State Representative regarding the firearm-related bills that are pending in Indianapolis.
Senate Bill 18, introduced by Second Amendment advocate, State Senator Brent Steele (R-44), has passed out of the Senate Public Policy Committee, and is headed to the Senate floor. This bill will eliminate the requirement for FFLs to provide the State Police with a copy of federal form 4473 for handgun transactions. State Representative Mike Murphy (R-90) has introduced House Bill 1200, legislation that mirrors SB18.
As expected, rabid gun-ban advocate Representative David Orentlicher (D-86) is sponsoring two measures, House Bill 1089 and House Bill 1090 that seek radical change in Indiana’s firearms statutes. If enacted, HB1089 would gut Indiana’s firearm preemption statute and provide Marion County with the authority to establish its own regulations regarding the sale, transport, transfer, and carrying of firearms, thus creating a patchwork of laws that could make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding gun owners.
In addition to that affront to honest citizens, Representative Orentlicher’s HB1090 seeks to end gun shows as we know them by defining a firearm dealer as any person who exhibits, sells, rents, exchanges, or transfers at least one firearm at a gun show. Further, a gun show would be defined as an event at which at least 50 firearms are offered for sale, rent, exchange, or transfer. Representative Orentlicher goes even farther to assault the Second Amendment by including language in HB1090 that prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun during any 30-day period!
Thankfully, the news is not all bad for gun owners in the Hoosier State as there are also several pro-gun measures which seek to further protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Representative Eric Koch (R-65) has filed NRA-supported House Bill 1011, the “Indiana Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act,” for the 2007 General Assembly session. In filing HB1011, State Representative Koch seeks to ensure that law-abiding firearm owners in the Hoosier State will not be stripped of their Right to Keep and Bear Arms during a declared state of emergency or disaster. Specifically, this proposal states that, “The state, a political subdivision, or any other person may not prohibit or restrict the lawful possession, transfer, sale, transportation, storage, display or use of firearms or ammunition during a disaster emergency, an energy emergency, or a local disaster emergency.”
Also, Representative Jerry Denbo (D-62) has introduced NRA-supported House Bill 1118 that will allow law-abiding gun owners to store a firearm in a locked vehicle in most public parking areas.
Please contact your State Representative at (317)-232-9600 and strongly urge them to oppose both HB1089 and HB1090, and to support and vote for HB1011 and HB1118.