Lauren Chapman / IPB News
Indiana law enforcement groups are on both sides of a debate over legislation that would no longer require Hoosiers to get a handgun license.
The process to get a handgun license typically takes just a few days. Hoosiers must complete an application, get fingerprinted and visit their local police agency.
During that, law enforcement completes a thorough background check. They look for, among other things, whether the person has a domestic violence conviction, any record of abusing drugs or alcohol and whether they ve been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
The process has taken much longer during the COVID-19 pandemic, as much as a few months.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana legislators would face coming up with $3.5 million a year for local police agencies if they repeal the state law requiring a permit to carry a handgun in.
General Assembly
Some see danger, others see undue burden on citizens
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
INDIANAPOLIS – A divided police community highlighted a hearing Wednesday to eliminate a requirement for Hoosiers to get a permit to carry a firearm in public.
“We as an association believe eliminating the handgun licensing system is an unnecessary risk to public safety,” said Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly, on behalf of the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police.
And he noted that just because you carry a firearm doesn’t make you safer since Indiana requires no gun training.
But former Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers said the permitting process is a burden on citizens to exercise a constitutional right.