Indiana House passes measure to end permit requirement for carrying gun

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Indiana House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make it legal for someone to carry a gun in public in the Hoosier state without a permit.

So-called constitutional carry laws are becoming more prominent throughout the country with 21 other states, including Kentucky, adopting similar measures.

The bill would do away with the traditional firearm permitting process in Indiana. Convicted felons would still not be allowed to carry a firearm. But many people, including members of law enforcement, don't like the idea.

"Indiana State Police still opposes this bill," ISP Maj. Rob Simpson said. "Our system, just in the last two years, located over 10,000 rejections. And most of those was a felon applying for a permit."

However, sponsors of the bill said felons will likely break the law anyway, regardless of a licensing system.

There is at least some doubt that the bill will pass. A similar piece of legislation took a similar track in the 2021 Indiana legislative session but died when it was unable to get a hearing in a Senate committee. It is yet to be decided whether the 2022 effort will get a hearing.