Yesterday, January 28, Senate Bill 229 passed in the Indiana Senate by a 28 to 21 vote. SB 229 will now be sent to the Indiana House of Representatives where it will await a committee referral. State Representative Sean Eberhart (R-57) has been designated as the handler of SB 229 in the House.
Sponsored by state Senator Jim Tomes (R-49), SB 229 would prohibit taxpayer-funded gun “buyback” programs. Currently, Indiana law allows for seized guns to be immediately and wastefully destroyed. To prevent this, Senate Bill 229 would require all city or town law enforcement agencies to return all seized firearms to the rightful owner within 120 days following final disposition of the case. If the lawful owner is not found or is unable to take possession of the firearm, SB 229 would require law enforcement agencies to sell these firearms at a public auction to an individual that is lawfully eligible to receive a firearm or to a licensed firearms dealer.
Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org for more information on the status of SB 229.