A bill authorizing more armed state representatives at the state Capitol is very close to passing in Indiana
A bill that lawmakers renewed and forwarded to Republican Governor Eric Holcomb on Thursday permits pistols to be carried in the state Capitol by 4 statewide elected representatives in Indiana, such as the attorney general and secretary of state.
It is currently legal for members of the General Assembly and employees to have a pistol within the state Capitol building and on its premises. The proposed proposal would also do away with the need that legislators and their staff members possess a current Indiana driver’s license.
A month ago, the initial state Senate proposal on the subject was not approved beyond a 2nd floor vote. But in the latter days of the session, lawmakers revived the concept by tying the phrase into another bill.
But unlike the original proposal, the most recent version does not grant the same rights to elected officials’ employees. Regarding if Holcomb approves of the proposal, his office remained silent.
If they aren’t already restricted by state or federal law, the final agreement would permit the state attorney general, administrator of state, the treasurer, and auditor to carry a weapon. House Bill 1084, which forbids governmental bodies from maintaining lists or records of privately held firearms or their owners, now includes the new language.
The state Senate voted 39–9 in favor of the legislation, with the Democratic caucus voting against it.
Greg Taylor, the minority leader in the Democratic Senate and a Democrat, stated that he voted against the amendment because it would also remove the licensing need for General Assembly members and staff members to carry weapons on Capitol property.
He remarked, “We utilized to require at least an understanding” of the laws governing who is allowed to carry in the Capitol.
A 2021 investigation by The Associated Press found that 21 states permit some kind of gun ownership in their statehouses. A state statute requiring a permission to carry a weapon in public was abolished by Indiana in 2022.
