Indiana State Police commissioner spars with lawmakers over constitutional carry bill

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana lawmakers are facing stiff pressure from law enforcement about a bill that would do away with permits for handguns.

House Bill 1077 would eliminate the traditional firearm permitting process in Indiana. Convicted felons would still not be allowed to carry a firearm.

The bill already passed through the house but has faced tough opposition in the Senate, including Indiana's top cop.

"For the record, I'm a firm believer in the Second Amendment," Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said. "But I also unapologetically believe that no constitutional right is unlimited. I don't stand up here and claim to understand your world because I don't. I don't. Please don't claim to understand mine."

The bill failed in the committee hearing due to a technicality, but Republicans said they plan to reintroduce it later in the session.

Carter's testimony at a Senate committee panel last week focused on what he calls a danger to officers across the state. He believes the bill puts officers at unnecessary risk because of a lack of registration for who can carry a gun.

"This very bill will enable and embolden," Carter said. "You're not the one out there by yourself at 2 a.m. when no one is coming."

Twenty-one other states, including Kentucky, have similar constitutional carry laws in place already. Proponents said this bill would put Indiana back on a level playing field.

"House Bill 1077 gets us to a place where the law-abiding citizen is not required to go through a process of asking permission — submitting to government investigation, supplying their fingerprints — to enjoy a right that is constitutional at the federal and state level," said Rep. Ben Smaltz, the bill's sponsor. "It specifies who may not carry a handgun, who may possess in a limited sense and who otherwise is not prohibited."