Indiana Concealed Carry

The Ins and Out of Concealed Carry in Indiana

Indiana concealed carry and firearms laws were altered after the 2017 legislative session adjourned, removing the license to carry requirement for up to 60 days for victims of domestic violence with a civil protection order (House Bill 1071) and also redefining Indiana's legal definition of "armor piercing ammunition," which previously prohibited plastic coated ammunition (House Bill 1095).

Additionally, Senate Bill 43 permits penal facilities employees to now store their firearms in parked vehicles on the premises and allows licensed state employees to carry in the state capitol building and on state capitol complex property. Senate Bill 13 allows the use of firearms to secure loans.

One of the more contested pieces of legislation, House Bill 1159, would have removed the state's licensing system for carrying handguns, , but it was instead passed to a summer study committee to research the bill's potential outcomes.

According to a fiscal impact statement associated with HB 1159, enacting this would theoretically result in a projected net loss of $5,205,000 in revenue for fiscal year 2018 and $5,306,000 lost for fiscal year 2019 for the state General Fund, also reducing expenditures for records and salaries (possible loss of state jobs) of about $260,000 for both fiscal years.

With proposed constitutional carry on hiatus, Indiana is still a shall-issue state. There is a relatively low-cost, four-year personal protection license, but for the price of some other states' licensing fees, one can get ahold of a lifetime Indiana license to carry.

Applying For An Indiana Concealed Carry Permit

Before any residents consider applying for either a four year or lifetime Indiana concealed carry permit, officially called the Indiana License to Carry a Handgun, it's important to first consider when a license isn't necessary under IC 35-47-2-1 (b).

There are five criteria in this statute that indicate when and where a handgun may be carried without a license:

1. Carrying the handgun on or about the body on property one owns, rents, leases or controls
2. Carrying the handgun on someone else's property if they formally give consent to do so, if the property is hosting a firearms related event (like a gun show or firearms expo) or if one is on property for firearms related services like repair or modification
3. In one's vehicle if the handgun is unloaded, not readily accessible and secured in a case
4. In someone else's vehicle with those previous requirements
5. Carrying the handgun at a shooting range, at a firearms instructional course or while engaged in a legal hunting activity

Those who would like to carry their handgun elsewhere in the state -- with some exceptions (more on that later) -- will need to apply for the state's handgun license.

Notably, Indiana issues two types of licenses, according to IC 35-47-2-4 (a). There is a qualified license for hunting and target practice and an unlimited license for protection of life and property.

The Indiana State Police has an online application process that has eight separate steps to input various background information like residence and criminal history. While this is primarily geared for Indiana residents over the age of 18 who aren't prohibited from possessing or carrying firearms, nonresidents may also qualify for a four year personal protection license if they have a regular place of business in Indiana -- their local agency being the sheriff of the county that business is in.

Once that electronic form is finalized and the state fee -- $30 for the four year personal protection license, $75 for the lifetime personal protection (with no current license) and $60 for the lifetime personal protection license (with a current valid Indiana license) -- is paid, the second step is to schedule a fingerprint appointment online at a location close to the applicant.

There is an $11.95 fee for MorphoTrust electronic fingerprinting (the state doesn't accept manual inked fingerprint cards by mail anymore) and a local fee paid to local law enforcement, that being either the sheriff or municipal police.

According to the Indiana State Police Firearms licensing fee schedule, in addition to the state fee there is a $10 local fee for the four year personal protection license, a $50 local fee for the lifetime personal protection license (with no current license) and a $40 local fee for the lifetime personal protection license (with a current valid Indiana license).

The final step must be completed within 90 days of the prior two steps in the process. The applicant must visit his or her local law enforcement agency to pay the previously mentioned local fee and they must also bring their handgun license application number.

This must be completed within 90 days because the online application will expire within 90 days.

To qualify for the permit, the applicant must have a proper reason for carrying a handgun, is of good character and reputation, is a proper person to be licensed and has an approved U.S. citizenship status, according to IC 35-47-2-3 (e).

A "proper person" is defined by 13 identifiers under IC 35-47-1-7. It includes disqualifiers like criminal convictions such as resisting law enforcement and domestic violence, court orders prohibiting possession of handguns, convictions related to not safely handling a handgun, adjudications as a delinquent child, mental health adjudications and involuntary commitments, mental incompetency and substance abuse.

Under IC 35-47-2-3 (g), an applicant will not be issued a license to carry if he or she has a felony conviction; has had their license suspended, unless it's been reinstated; is under the age of 18; is under the age of 23 if they were ever adjudicated as a delinquent child for a conviction an adult would be tried as a felon for; has been arrested for a Class A or B felony for an offense committed before July 1, 2014; has been arrested for a Level 1 through Level 4 felony for an offense after June 30, 2014; or if they were convicted for any felony committed while armed with a deadly weapon.

New applications will be granted or rejected within 60 days after the application is fully filed, according to IC 35-47-2-6. Licenses can be renewed with 365 days of expiration through a similar process as the new application. If the renewal application is submitted within 30 days of the license expiration, the current license will be extended and legitimate until the renewal is passed upon.

A denied application can be appealed in writing through mail to the Firearms License Unit within the Criminal Justice Data Division of the Indiana State Police, but there will be an electronic appeals process soon, according to the Indiana State Police.

The license to carry does have a few restrictions as far as locations are concerned.

Indiana Gun Laws Have Location Restrictions

There are a handful of pertinent Indiana gun laws that restrict weapons in specific locations throughout the state.

Firearms in most cases are prohibited in restricted areas of airports as well as on airplanes, as per IC 35-47-6.

There are restrictions for carrying weapons on school property and school buses, according to IC 35-47-9-2, with an exception for those who are licensed and have the firearm in a locked container or compartment of a vehicle, or stored out of sight within the locked vehicle, when transporting children to and from school.

Although political subdivisions may not regulate firearms, ammunition, firearm accessories, firearms ownership, possession, carrying, transportation, transfer and storage of firearms, ammunition and accessories, according to IC 35-47-11.1-2, the Indiana State Police requires gun owners to be attentive of signs restricting firearms on property.

According to 68 IAC 1-7-1, firearms are prohibited at riverboat casinos with the appropriate signage posted.

Generally, it's OK to , according to the Indiana State Police, but there are two exceptions:

1. DNR State Parks & Reservoir properties managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
2. At Falls of the Ohio State Park

There may be other state and federal restrictions. Because this is neither formal legal advice nor a completely comprehensive guide to this state's intermittently shifting firearms laws and regulations, please contact local authorities about questions related to these matters.

Beyond these location considerations, reciprocity (the formal, interstate recognition between permitting systems allowing gun owners to legally travel over state lines with firearms) is another point gun owners benefit from, with national reciprocity standards being pushed by entities like the NRA.

Indiana Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Indiana's concealed carry reciprocity standards are outlined in IC 35-47-2-21, noting that other states' or countries' licenses to carry handguns "will be recognized according to the terms thereof but only while the holders are not residents of Indiana."

There are more than 30 states that recognize the Indiana resident handgun license, but that number can and will shift. An updated is a good bet for current reciprocity agreements between states.

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About The Author Jake Smith (@notjakesmith) is a copywriter in his final year of studying public relations and apparel at the University of Idaho.