Indiana lawmakers consider increasing rifle buying age, other gun restrictions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB and WXIN) -- Indiana lawmakers are proposing gun-related legislation that would prohibit bump stocks, increase the rifle buying age to 21 and boost penalties for juvenile gun crimes.

Bills filed by Republicans include increasing penalties for juvenile delinquents who commit gun-related crimes, while bills filed by Democrats focus on gun safety.

A bill that already has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee would allow retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school property.

Chase Lyday, president of the Indiana School Resource Officer Association, supports the bill.

“There would be no reason why they wouldn’t be a benefit to school security," he said. "Just being around, picking their kid up, dropping things off, being involved on school campus and having a weapon on them, they would certainly be qualified to do that.”

Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said prohibiting bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns, and increasing the rifle buying age would help reduce tragedies.

In Indiana, people 18 and older can buy a rifle, but they have to wait until age 21 to buy a handgun, even though those may have smaller magazines.

“I think that’s ironic and something we need to change,” Taylor told WXIN.

He acknowledged that it might be difficult to get public support for his proposals.

“I am confident that there is going to be a lot of Hoosiers that might disagree but I ask them to take their time and read the bill,” Taylor said.

Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, said he’s working on a bill that would require safe storage of guns.

“If you have a gun in your home and you think it can be accessed by a child or by somebody who is legally not supposed to have guns, then you need to have it locked,” said Stoops.

Under his bill, gun owners could face up to 2½ years in prison if their failure to keep their guns locked results in an injury or death.

Stoops said he also wants a new universal background check law.

“It actually fixes a loophole where private parties can buy and sell guns between themselves bypassing the background check requirement,” said Stoops.

Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said that he did not yet know whether any of the bills have his interest.

The deadline to file bills is Thursday.