Indiana Lawmaker Still Hoping For Free Carry Law

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 7:21 AM

By Mike Perleberg and Benjamin Yount, 24/7 News Source

The Indiana House failed to pass a firearms bill by the Monday deadline, but the bill author has plans to revive his legislation.

Indiana Statehouse

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Just because Indiana lawmakers haven't voted on the plan to allow people to carry a gun for free doesn't mean they won't vote on it.

State Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Aurburn), who wrote the plan to remove the fee for a concealed carry permit, said he expects the idea to be resurrected before the end of the session in April. House Bill 1643 would have also expanded four-year permits to five years while allowing for a more stringent background check.

In addition to those provisions, Smaltz’s plan would have allowed churches with schools on property to allow parishioners to carry guns while attending church services.

Lawmakers missed the deadline to vote on HB 1643 to send it to the Senate as questions arose about the definition of school property. Monday was the final day for House-filed bills to pass in the House of Representatives.

But, Smaltz said Monday the idea can be inserted into another piece of legislation that did make the deadline.