Indiana: State House Approves Pro-Gun and Pro-Hunting Legislation

Yesterday, on the final day for third reading of Senate bills, the Indiana House of Representatives passed two NRA-backed pieces of legislation -- Senate Bill 229 and Senate Joint Resolution 9.  Passed by a 74 to 24 vote, the amended version of SB 229 will now go back to the Indiana Senate for its concurrence.

Having passed in the state House by a 79 to 16 vote, the language in SJR 9 will also need to be passed either next year or in 2016 to be eligible for the 2016 ballot.  SJR 9, sponsored by state Senator Brent Steele (R-44) and state Representative Mark Messmer (R-63), would guarantee Hoosiers the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife.  This proposed constitutional amendment would ensure the preservation of Indiana's rich hunting heritage for future generations.

Sponsored by state Senator Jim Tomes (R-49) and state Representative Sean Eberhart (R-57), SB 229 as amended would do the following:

• Prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund a gun “buyback” program

• Allow firearms to be locked out of plain sight in a vehicle while parked on school property

• Remove the “roaming school zone” provision from current law – currently, property can be defined as a place where a school function is taking place (i.e. a person would be in violation of state law if they were legally carrying a firearm at a zoo and a school field trip was being held there as well)

• Redefine “school property” to only include property of the school and not other buildings that might be connected to the school by a parking lot

Please contact your state Senator today and respectfully urge him or her to SUPPORT the House amendment to SB 229.  Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.