Don't repeal Indiana's gun permit law

A proposal that would repeal Indiana's gun permit law — which has failed in the last two legislative sessions — has made an unwelcome return.

Last week, a legislative committee began reviewing the proposal that would have Indiana join a dozen other states that don't require a license to carry a handgun in public — the so-called "constitutional carry."

State Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, wants to repeal the gun permit law, arguing that law-abiding citizens shouldn't have to get state permission to carry out their Second Amendment rights.

"We have the state that is forcing an innocent person to get online, apply for a license, go get fingerprinted. They have to take a half day off work or a full day and pay a fee to the state to exercise a constitutional right," he says.

Earlier this year, Lucas went even further when discussing the bill he introduced in the most recent legislative session: "To me it's immoral and even criminal ... to force a person to jump through hoops and pay money to the state ..."

Members of law enforcement — including officials who spoke before the panel considering the idea last week — take a different view.

State police Maj. Mike White explained that removing the permit requirement could put police officers at greater risk. "Any sort of vetting that we can do and assure that even that one person that shouldn't be carrying doesn't carry, that's what we need to do,"he said.

In a Tribune story last December, area officials on both sides of the political aisle spoke out against the plan. St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter, a Democrat, said the proposal "proliferates folks who shouldn't have guns to be able to have guns."

And LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd, a Republican, pointed out that without a licensing requirement, an officer would have to run a lengthy background check to determine if someone is lawfully carrying a handgun during a police encounter. "In dealing with the public, we're working against the clock. And if it's very time-consuming, we may have to let someone go before we find out if they're the subject of a protective order or a convicted felon," he said.

Such arguments make a strong case against constitutional carry. And they make it clear that opposition to this proposed change isn't an effort to erode Second Amendment rights. Contrary to Lucas' assertions, a gun permit is a reasonable step that in no way infringes on this right.

The proposal was defeated in Indiana's Republican-dominated legislature in the last two years. This wrongheaded idea should fail for the third — and hopefully last — time.