STATEHOUSE- Rep. Heath VanNatter (R-Kokomo) sponsored legislation which allows individuals to carry a handgun without a license in a vehicle or on property that they rent, own or lease. Senate Bill 506 passed the House today by a vote of 84 to 13.
The bill also allows for an individual to carry their handgun with them on the property of another person or in another person's vehicle if they were given permission to access that property by the owner or lessee.
"It was essential that we made sure that a person is not able to use this law to possess or transport ammunition or a firearm if they are prohibited from doing so by state or federal law," said VanNatter.
SB 506 allows a person to carry a handgun if they are attending a firearms event, receiving firearm instruction, at a shooting range, or participating in legal hunting activities. This bill also states that at any other time the handgun must be unloaded and secure.
Under current law, it is illegal to transport a handgun in your vehicle for any reason unless you are driving from the point of purchase to your home, fixed place of business, or from your home or fixed place of business to a gunsmith for repair, unless you have some form of state-issued permit.
"This bill protects a citizen's second amendment right to carry a legally purchased handgun within the law," said Rep. VanNatter.
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Rep. VanNatter serves District 38, which includes all of Clinton county, and parts of Boone, Hamilton, and Howard counties. For the 2011 legislative session, Rep. VanNatter is the vice-chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee, and a member of the Courts and Criminal Code Committee, Environmental Affairs Committee, and the Local Government Committee. |
