CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Indiana residents, 18 and over, can now carry handguns in public without a permit, with some exceptions.
Permit-less carry, lawful carry or constitutional carry, as some supporters have called this, was championed by Republican lawmakers, including Senator Eric Koch.
“Lawful carry gives criminals reason to fear that any potential victim could be armed.”
As of March, state police records show that $1.2 million Indiana residents had gun permits.
The State Police Superintendent, Dough Carter, was a vocal opponent of the legislation. He told lawmakers during debate, if you “support this bill, you will not be supporting us.”
Those with felony convictions, restraining orders or mental illness cannot carry guns.
Identifying them on the spot, police have said, will be difficult, when they encounter someone with a gun.
“We have to go through another step or two in order to be able to run a criminal check,” state police spokesman Capt. Ron Galaviz told the Associated Press. “We won’t necessarily be able to do it there on the side of the road.”
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