Indianapolis/Marion County Considering Shooting Ban!

On Tuesday, April 17, the Indianapolis/Marion County City-County Council’s Rules and Public Policy Committee will consider Proposal 174.  Authored by Councilor Angela Mansfield (D-2), Proposal 174 is riddled with arbitrary and overly restrictive provisions that are clearly designed to ban recreational shooting within Indianapolis-Marion County.

Among the proposed changes to existing ordinances are:

1)      It will be unlawful to discharge a firearm anywhere within the consolidated city/county limits, except at an approved shooting range;

2)      All shooting ranges must be approved by the sheriff, and

3)      The sheriff shall develop “safety inspection” standards;

4)      Every range must be re-approved on an annual basis.

Additionally, any shooting range that does not pass “inspection” shall be deemed an environmental public nuisance and subject to closure! 

Proposal 174 also would require that a person may apply to the sheriff for written approval to shoot firearms on his or her private property if he or she has a minimum of 15 acres.  The written application submitted to the sheriff must contain the following information: name of the property owner, names of any other persons that the owner is permitting to shoot on the property, address and property boundaries of where the person proposes to shoot, time period requested to shoot, and purpose of the request to shoot.  The sheriff shall have sole discretion in determining if any shooting activity will be allowed on any property and may revoke approval at any time.

Please contact the Rules and Public Policy Committee members listed below and strongly encourage them to oppose these changes to the City-County firearms discharge ordinance.  Also, if your Councilor is not on the Rules and Public Policy Committee, please call him or her to oppose to Proposal 174!

We will alert you to any new information regarding the upcoming Committee hearing.  In the meantime, be sure to make plans to attend the hearing on Tuesday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 260 of the City-County Building, 50 North Alabama Street, Indianapolis.  Don’t forget to alert your family, friends and fellow gun owners about this attack on our Second Amendment rights! 

Rules and Public Policy Committee:

Rozelle Boyd (D) – [email protected] - 317-327-4240

Dr. Philip Borst (R) – 317-327-4242

Cherrish Pryor (D) – [email protected] - 317-327-4242

Bob Cockrum (R) – 317- 856-5549

Lonnell Conley (D) – [email protected] - 317-547-6652

Monroe Gray (D) – [email protected] - 317-297-1155

Joanne Sanders (R) – [email protected] - 317-283-6040

Scott Schneider (R) – [email protected] - 317-845-1815

You may also locate your Councilor by clicking here.