A conversation between me and my state Senator

[Jack Burton]

Indiana has good support for the 2nd Amendment but one very stupid aspect of our law is that we MUST have a license to carry in order to move a handgun from one place to another except to our place of business or a gun shop. As you know, you actually need a LTC to even take the handgun to the range.

One of our state senators has a bill to correct this that has passed the initial committee and is on the way to the whole senate. My senator is a liberal democrat which is why I took this beginning approach to win her vote. Here is our email conversation about it.

ME: I strongly encourage you to support Sen. Bill 506.

At this time anyone who owns a handgun cannot legally carry it to target practice without having a Licenses to Carry a Handgun, which then permits them to also legally carry it concealed into virtually every place in Indiana.

Sen. Bill 506 removes this requirement. This enables firearm owners to actually practice with their handgun at a qualified range which is a good thing, and it keeps the number of LTC owners down to a minimum. It is a win-win situation with everyone and it does not cost the state any money to change or implement.

SEN: Thanks for your comments, and I don’t mind that part. But, did you know it is also written in such a way that it allows an unlicensed handgun to be carried into any public building ….. including courts and schools? They need to fix that.

ME: Thank you for responding on this issue of Sen Bil 506. I have extensively studied the proposed bill and I simply cannot find where it "allows an unlicensed handgun to be carried into any public building ….. including courts and schools".

As a point, there are no "licensed" or "unlicensed handguns" in Indiana. People are licensed to carry a handgun. This bill does not in any that I can see expand the areas of where those who are licensed to carry a handgun can go into. It merely address the concept that a person without a license to carry may transport the handgun in a car, unloaded and locked up, to someplace other than just a gun store and place of work.

I know there are several firearm bills before the Senate. Perhaps you inadvertently confused portions of another one with Bill 506.

I ask that you take a second look at the bill and perhaps clarify it with the Senator who proposed it. By passing the bill you allow me to throw a handgun, unloaded and locked, into the trunk of my car to go target shooting at the DNR range. By not passing the bill you force me to get a License to Carry just to go target shooting, which then does allow me to carry the handgun into virtually everyplace in Indiana.

It seems an easy choice to me, and one that you can fairly justify to those who are in the pro-gun control side.

SEN: Thanks. I reviewed this, and talked to some other people and still disagree with you. Check it out again: It says (section b) : a person can carry an unlicensed handgun….if …. (2) the person is lawfully present upon property owned by another person (In Indiana, a “person” is defined to include corporate entities…. And government entities….this definition is in another section which does not show up on the bill.

Therefore … a person can carry an unlicensed handgun… onto a government property…… and I don’t see how that excludes a school or court. I am not trying to block what you want………but the language of this bill needs to be fixed. People write all kinds of stuff around here without carefully checking their words.

ME: I double-checked the Bill 506 that was updated on Jan. 26. It clearly states, "...(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person may carry a handgun"

Again, there are no provisions in Indiana to "license" a handgun. It concerns me that you substantially misquoted from Bill 506 to make a point against it.

It also goes on to say in section 4 that the firearm MUST be "unloaded" and in a container.

There is nothing in this bill that states that it overrides the rule that the Lake County courthouse has that prevents firearms from being carried on to its property.

It clearly states in section D "(d) This section may be not construed:
18 (1) to prohibit a person who owns, leases, rents, or otherwise
19 legally controls private property from regulating or
20 prohibiting the possession of firearms on the private
21 property;

That gives the full right of any person/business to prevent guns from being brought onto the property.

But again, what concerns me the most is your twice misquoting of the bill when the correct wording is available. This has me believing that you have not actually read the bill but are going by what others have told you about it. Is this true? Are you "carefully checking" the words.

I have absolutely no problem with a Senator who disagrees with me. I have real problems with one who feeds me something that is obviously and checkably untrue.

SEN: You happen to catch me on a day when legislature not in session, and I have some time. I have re-read section (d) in light of your comments….. and .. wait for it ……..I think you are right. As long as there are Rules that have been put in place. I will take a look at this again. Don’t accuse me of “cheating”

ME: Thank you for your response. I trust you will consider the Bill appropriately and fairly, and vote for how you think is best for Indiana. I encourage you to vote "yes."

And I understand in the rush to look at hundreds of bills sometimes things are not as clear as we would want them to be. I heard that in the Obamacare bill there is actually a provision mandating everyone wear fuzzy pink bunny slippers at night to prevent colds.

 

[Vince49]

Thank you for writing to your Senator and thanks for posting.

 

[indykid]

It is amazing that instead of using plain language, they make it so ambiguous that even they don't know what they wrote!

Good you wrote and thanks for letting us know that some representatives actually listen, even if it takes a few emails!

 

[Driver]

Good job, Thank you.

 

[Larryjr]

Yes man I thank you as well for taking the time to write your rep even though I have serious doubts the rep will do the right thing.

 

[SWAMPMASTER]

I really dont want pink bunny slippers, can u get them to throw out the whole bill

 

[38special]

Good stuff, though I unfortunately doubt she'll change her mind. They're stubborn!

 

[Plinker]

Loved your last line, that wholly made your point in which you (humorously) told about hearsay on the Obamacare bill, something quite similar to what your Senator was doing with this particular bill. I'd rep you if I could!

 

[Jack Burton]

Yes man I thank you as well for taking the time to write your rep even though I have serious doubts the rep will do the right thing.

The problem for her is there really is no "right thing" which I pointed out to her. If she votes "no" she gives hundreds of thousands of people a reason to have a LTC which then gives the public her feared ability to carry a gun everywhere. She doesn't want that. If she votes "yes" many of those people won't need a LTC and will not get one. Which is her desire.

So she has a choice of voting yes to something she doesn't like to keep something that she likes even less away.

 

[Bushido Devil Dog]

Well, at least he/she/other doesn't think that "it is a shoulder thing that goes up"...

 

[Bunnykid68]

Repped

 

[HICKMAN]

still amazes me that these people LIVE in Indiana... and don't know the most common things.

 

[Titanium Man]

Good Posting, rep will be forthcoming. It all became crystal clear when I saw what county the State Rep was from LAKE. That explains everything. They just need to severe that county from Indiana, and give it to Illinois, because of all the liberal garbage that seethes out of there. Good people, bad, senseless politics.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Good post. And a pretty accurate description of some of our "representatives" at this point. Hey... Just tell 'em anything... don't BOTHER doing the homework or listening to their viewpoints.... Sheesh.

 

[fatmatt1981]

How he loosely used the term "licensed" handguns concerns me...we shouldn't have to have a license to have any gun....the paperwork upon purchase is plenty for me.
In regards to carrying a weapon on govt. property...isn't that an automatic felony???

 

[looney2ns]

This may be a bit off topic, but then again not. I think we need to push for laws/bills/what have you to be written in language an average educated person can understand. This is a good example of how different people can read laws as they are currently "written" and come up with varied meanings.

 

[Jack Burton]

I doubt she ever read the law or looked at it until I essentially called her a liar. She depended either upon a staffer who glanced at it or a Brady bunch person to tell her what was in it.

 

[Jack Burton]

Good Posting, rep will be forthcoming. It all became crystal clear when I saw what county the State Rep was from LAKE. That explains everything. They just need to severe that county from Indiana, and give it to Illinois, because of all the liberal garbage that seethes out of there. Good people, bad, senseless politics.

Don't be so quick to give me to Illinois, TM. I had my chance to live there and turned it down for the Indiana side.

 

[k12lts]

Good work on having an intelligent conversation with your legislator, if more people would do the same we wouldn't have as many stupid laws.

Most legislators I have talked to appreciate conversation on pending legislation. I'm sure she is not well informed on firearms laws. If we don't try to educate them the other side will.

 

[cbseniour]

Hand Gun Bill

Your conversations with the Senator illistrate just how dificult it is to communicate to persons who already "know better".
Thanks for your efforts and good luck in the future