INDIANAPOLIS — Beginning July 1, Hoosiers will be able to carry a handgun in public without a permit.
Some say the permit-less carry bill is needed.
"It's just removing those obstacles for the law-abiding. I don't see a problem with it," the retail manager at Indy Arms Company, Mark Welter, said. "We shouldn't have to pay fees to the government to exercise a constitutional right."
Others who struggle with gun violence are worried.
"I'm terrified," Alexandra Rollo, with the organization Moms Demand Action said. "This makes everyone's life riskier, and it puts our cops in a position where they don't have any leg to stand on. They see somebody with a gun, no longer will the law allow them to question a person. That's crazy."
Those in support of the law say it clears the red tape for legal gun owners.
"We don't put a tax on speech, we don't put a tax on worship, all of those things are enshrined into the constitution. Self-defense is the same thing," Welter said.
Welter said there is a constitutional right when it comes to carrying a gun and that right shouldn't be taxed.
"I've never heard any bad guys pass on doing any criminal activity because my gun permit hasn't arrived yet," Welter said.
Those opposed fear it will create more gun violence and make it tough on police.
"It's going to be a war zone," Donita Royal who lost her son to gun violence said. "The violence is going to skyrocket even higher than what it is now. We have to have order. Some laws do need to be put in place."
A similar measure that created permitless carry went into effect Monday in Ohio.
-
IU’s Lamar Wilkerson & Tucker DeVries sign NBA Exhibit-10 contracts
Former Indiana Hoosiers Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries have officially inked NBA Exhibit-10 contracts to play in the NBA Summer League starting in July.
Facing heavy rain and severe threat Friday, extreme heat next week
A slow-moving front brings central Indiana a couple of rain chances in the coming days. Widespread rain is anticipated on Friday.
Pacers GM Chad Buchanan shares what stood out about Braden Smith
Former Purdue star and Westfield grad Braden Smith is staying home. The Indiana Pacers traded for Smith, the NCAA all-time assist leader, in the second round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Fever president Kelly Krauskopf releases statement on player safety
The Indiana Fever lost to the Phoenix Mercury, 111-109, on Wednesday night, with officiating and player safety being called into question.