Governor Holcomb Signs Permitless Carry Bill Into Law Over Law Enforcement Objections, Ignoring Widespread Opposition from Public Safety Advocates

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Volunteers, Law Enforcement, Public Safety Advocates, Local Leaders all Spoke Out and Called on Governor Holcomb to Veto

The Indiana chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed HB 1296, a permitless carry bill that would eliminate Indiana’s permit requirement for carrying a handgun in public into law. Indiana lawmakers were only able to advance the bill by circumventing the normal legislative process and replaced language in HB 1296, a completely unrelated bill, with permitless carry language during a conference committee —without hearing testimony from the bill’s many opponents, including law enforcement officers and concerned citizens.

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers joined the Indiana State Police, officers and representatives from the Fort Wayne Police Department, Evansville Police Department, the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police in speaking out against permitless carry throughout the legislative process.

“By signing this bill into law, Governor Holcomb has made it clear that he would rather stand with the gun lobby than support and protect the law enforcement leaders who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities,” said Cathy Weinmann, a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Permitless carry will put Hoosiers in danger, and our communities will bear the toll of Governor Holcomb’s choice to ignore law enforcement’s opposition to this bill. We cannot let this attack on public safety go unanswered and must hold our leaders accountable at the ballot box. ”

The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee had previously amended House Bill 1077, the original permitless carry bill, to no longer dismantle Indiana’s permitting system after hearing significant opposition from law enforcement. The dangerous policy was only able to advance after its original language was inserted into a completely unrelated bill on the eve of final passage. Weakening permitting systems has increased gun violence in other states and is broadly opposed by law enforcement, including law enforcement in Indiana. 

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action took significant action to call on lawmakers to reject permitless carry and to encourage Governor Eric Holcomb to veto this legislation. Volunteers sent over 600 messages and drove over 450 calls to Governor Holcomb’s office.

Learn more about gun violence in Indiana here.