The Good (not the Bad and the Ugly) at the Indiana General Assembly

On January 8th the Indiana General Assembly came back into session. It’s the time of year hundreds of bills are introduced and only a quarter to a third will get a committee hearing and have a chance to move forward through the legislative process. It is fortunate for those of us who are gun owners and supporters of the 2nd Amendment (2A) very few of the bills that are in conflict with our rights (the Bad and the Ugly) will see the light of day in a committee. With that said, we can’t expect bills that support our 2A Rights (the Good) to make it through to the Governor’s desk without letting our elected officials know we are here and paying attention.

This year we have four very solid bills which will definitely support the lawful gun owners and 2A supporters here in Indiana. The committee hearings are not only available for live viewing at the Indiana General Assembly website https://iga.in.gov/ but all videos are archived for later viewing (which allows for fast-forwarding.) In the near future I will provide time points for the committee hearings videos. This will allow you to fast-forward through bills about race horses on steroids, or fence-height requirements for outdoor seating when there are sales of alcoholic beverages. There are those of us who sit through those bills, so you don’t have to.

House Bill (HB) 1074 Firearms Financial Transactions is authored by Craig Haggard. It prohibits discrimination against firearms retailers by financial institutions. This also affects those of us who use debit and credit cards to purchase firearms. HB 1074 is assigned to the Financial Institutions Committee which meets at 1030 on Tuesdays.

HB 1137 Expungement of Red Flag Law Records is authored by Ben Smaltz. This is of particular importance since the Red Flag Law (also called the Laird Law in Indiana) is a civil proceeding. A lawyer is not appointed for the accused if they can’t afford legal representation as in a criminal case. Expungement is incredibly important, particularly if the accused was never found to be “dangerous” in court. HB 1137 is assigned to the Courts and Criminal Code Committee which meets Wednesdays at 1030.

HB 1170 Elimination of Gun Free Zones is authored by Jim Lucas. This bill does not seek to eliminate all gun free zones, but rather focuses on four entities which are operating outside current Indiana Code. These include: the Department of Natural Resources (requires a handgun license to carry a handgun in a State Park despite Indiana having Constitutional Carry since July 2022.) The Indiana Department of Administration (forbids carry of firearms on Indiana Government Center Campus, which includes two parking garages open to the public.) The State Fair Commission (through administrative code) have declared that firearms are in the same category as chemical and biological weapons and are forbidden. Note this doesn’t only apply to the State Fair, but the State Fairgrounds year-around. State Universities forbid students and employees from even securing firearms in vehicles. The legislature writes the laws, not executive agencies. HB 1170 is assigned to the Public Policy Committee which meets Tuesdays at 0830.

Finally, HB 1171 Self Defense is also authored by Jim Lucas. This bill makes pointing a firearm in a self-defense situation reasonable force. It also recognizes occupied businesses have similar status as the home. This bill seeks to remedy a 24-year-old Indiana Circuit Court precedent that made pointing a loaded firearm the equivalent of deadly force. HB 1171 is assigned to the Courts and Criminal Code Committee along with HB 1137 (meets Wednesdays at 1030.)

Keep an eye on your email for updates and “Calls to Action” to support the pro-2A legislation. By clicking this link https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills you can see all the bills currently at the Statehouse.

Things happen fast at the Statehouse. Hopefully we will see these four bills make it though the legislature and on to the Governor’s desk for signature.

Here is a sneak-peak into a new bill tracker that will be a part of the new website. In the meantime, you can access the current bill information here. This information is current as of todays’ date of 1/23/2025.

Kelly Myers
Co-Director, Government Affairs