Eric Holcomb
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (AP Photo/Tom Davies)

Two dozen. With the addition of Indiana, the constitutional carry club now has 24 members. Three (so far) in 2022. Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law this afternoon and issued this statement . . .

The Second Amendment has been debated for years, yet time and again our U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed this important constitutional right that I fully support. Twenty-three other states have laws comparable to HEA 1296. Vermont has had a constitutional carry law in place since it became a state, and several other states have had a similar law for more than a decade. HEA 1296, which I’ve signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our State. It’s important to note that if a person is prohibited, under federal or state laws, from possessing a firearm before this law goes into effect, that person will still be prohibited. And if a prohibited person has a firearm, he or she can be prosecuted. Firearm permits will remain available, without fee, to anyone who wants or needs one, such as Hoosiers desiring to carry a firearm to, through or in another state that has reciprocity with Indiana.

That sound you hear in the distance is a hundred red-shirted moms screaming out in frustration and defeat. The Firearms Policy Coalition cheered the Hoosiers’ move . . .

Today, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the Firearms Policy Coalition-supported House Bill 1296 into law, making it the 24th state to enact permitless carry legislation. Under the law, peaceable adults, 18 years of age and older who are not otherwise prohibited from carrying or owning a firearm, will no longer need a license to carry either open or concealed in the Hoosier state. The law will go into effect July 1. 

FPC applauds Gov. Holcomb for honorably siding with the constitutions of both Indiana and the United States.We also wish to thank the bill’s author, Rep. Ben Smaltz, as well as the Indiana state senators and representatives who actively supported H.B. 1296’s passing, despite multiple efforts to derail and gut the bill by amendment from the Republican Chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Liz Brown. 

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67 COMMENTS

    • Two more and it’s the majority. Ultimately though we need a SUBSTANTIAL majority of states to implement permit-less carry and then a few years for it to gain enough historical precedent to force it down the throats of the rest of the states with a SCOTUS ruling.

      • I actually did the math and,by 2020 census numbers, over 108 million Americans live in a constitutional carry state. If we get Florida and a few more states in the south, over half of Americans will live in a constitutional carry state.

  3. Halle-frickin-lujah! We’ve been (politely) burning up the RINO-in-Chief’s phone lines for the past week. I wasn’t certain he was going to sign it.

    • Congratulations! I’m so happy for you guys! Those politicians they want to get reelected. You burn up their phones they will listen.

      • Kentucky’s laws aren’t bad! And now OH and IN can exert some pressure to help you guys make them even better.

    • Awesome! As someone (maybe) moving east in the future it makes it easier! I already spend the vast portion of my $ there. I’ll have to tell my buddy & his wife.

    • I wasn’t expecting him to sign it, either, but apply enough pressure to any RINO right before they’re due for re-election, and they usually snap into line with the will of the people!

      • Well, in his case, he’s term-limited for governor, but it’s an open secret that he plans to run for US Senate.

    • Same here with calls. I suspect it was only signed to make it law on July 1 instead of it automatically becoming law 8 days after hitting the governor’s desk. Either way, it is the right thing.

  4. Better to be late to the party than to not show up at all.
    Still, it’s nice to be part of the (almost) half of the nation now that honors that pesky part of the 2A that says the right to BEAR arms shall not be infringed.
    Major respect to all those who undoubtedly worked their tails off to get this through and force governor Squishy into a corner to sign it.

      • I already thought they were good Chip! Honestly ILLannoy is sooooo effed up. My buddy is deathly scared to even have a gun in his trunk when we go shooting(and Hoosiers love Illinois $). If I’d known or cared we could have moved east 20some years ago…

        • They were, which was one of the excuses Holcomb used to kill previous attempts to pass constitutional carry.

      • Chip,

        They’re pretty good, except we have had a “red flag law” for a few years now. Except for that (and I don’t know that it’s getting abused), there’s a lot to like.

        • Publius,

          Thanks to Guy Relford, Laird’s Law was changed a couple years ago, to restore due process rights. So, yes, there’s a red flag law, but it’s actually not horrible.

      • Chip Bennett,

        Indiana becoming a constitutional carry state is great news. And I love the fact that their minimum age is 18 rather than 21 years-old.

        Two questions:

        Can you carry loaded rifles and shotgun in vehicles in Indiana?

        How does concealed carry in Indiana compare with Utah which honestly and truly has ZERO “pistol free zones”?

        • uncommon_sense:

          I am unaware of any Indiana statute generally prohibiting the carry of loaded long guns in vehicles (other than for ATVs). Indiana does have some “no carry” zones, but that is a matter of statute, not of the LTCH (i.e. the Utah license would not circumvent such prohibitions).

        • The permit law is strictly a license to carry HANDGUN. Long guns are allowed anywhere that isn’t a gun-free zone per statute (mostly schools and the government center campus in downtown Indy).

      • Not surprised, Indiana is one of the best states in the nation. And yes I’m biased. I love the Indy 500! I love the people there also.

  5. The media inflated law enforcement said to be against lost its steam and fell on deaf ears. Congrats Indiana and now onward to the next state.

  6. But, muh California…

    As crime here worsens year by year, I wonder just how long the woke “gunz r bad” crowd will last before the CC creeps our way.

    • They will all leave first, head somewhere else to screw it up. All those lefties will only hang as long as the crime stays out of their yards. But the places they can go just became fewer. Hard to take back the 2A states once law.

    • Fingers crossed, nationwide “shall issue” is on the horizon by summer, even if the ruling only applies to the eight remaining recalcitrant states that remain “may issue” or virtual no issue (like NYC and Hawaii). The fact that 42 out of fifty states are unrestricted or shall issue has got to count for something with the Supreme Court (if that is even needed, although I am sure there will be a mention of it).

    • Haz, my friend, the only “solution” to KKKalifornia is to do what I did, and GTFO. KKKalifornia needs to crash and burn (and its well on its way) before the rich, elitist snobs in SF and LA remove their heads from rectal defilade.

      I put up with the bulls*** from the likes of Gov. Moonbeam and Gavin Gruesome for almost 60 years, continuing to hope “things will get better”. Not before they hit rock bottom, they won’t. The one thing that finally brought me around is that the rich “elites” LIKE it this way, and the poor and immigrants are fine as long as their check cashes. You’re trying to sell “rational” to a bunch of idiots who are only SLIGHTLY more rational than dacian the stupid. “A man has to know his limitations.” GTFO. You can move back in about ten years, and buy Malibu oceanfront estates for dirt cheap, after the state goes bankrupt.

      • Lived there from 1974 to 2015. Watched the truly Golden State devolve into the crap hole that it is now.
        You are absolutely correct about the elites and the illegals. The middle class is getting hammered there. The elite are rich, the illegals take, and the middle class struggles.

    • @Haz

      Any new developments in your nightmare journey to becoming One of the Few – One of the Proud lawful concealed carriers in California?

      • There are many CCW holders here in CA. My dilemma is that I live in one of the four major Counties (of 58 total) that are essentially “no issue”. Los Angeles is surrounded by Ventura, Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, all of which are much more lenient with their permits. Los Angeles has historically not issued permits, as well as (I may not get this correct, but I believe it is) San Diego, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco.

        I submitted the original requested documentation and waited eight months for the interview, then submitted additional documentation I was told to bring. And then had to email several more documents as a result of the interview. Now it’s back to waiting again, which is another 90-day timeframe per policy according to the Detective. Of course, the original wait time for the interview was a maximum of 90 days, so who knows how long this’ll take.

        I’m waiting with baited breath for the NYSRPA outcome.

  7. The 2020 black lives matter and antifa riots have now produced a huge backlash. More states are now constitutional carry than before any of the riots started.

    And if the Republicans do take control of Congress in the next election? BLM and antifa will start rioting again. And that will only motivate States even more, to pass constitutional carry who have not done so yet.

    I very much look forward for more Democrats to call for the police to be defunded. Go ahead defund the police.

    The RINO”s want to stay in office. When more cities burn they’ll pass and sign constitutional carry.

    • The probability of con carry coming to California, NY, NYC, Mass., Il., or Hawaii is virtually nil. All are controlled by anti-gun Democrats.

      [Which reminds me, Michael Madigan the Il. State Speaker who fought to keep shall issue out of Illinois resigned after 50 years. I think the corruption charges against him may have had something to do with it.]

      • Then put in the work to culture-flip them if that is where you are from.

        Relying on SCOTUS and screaming for the feds isn’t something one should expect to do all the time. If screaming for the feds gets overused, it might even lead to the risk of federalized licensing.

        • Realistically any reliance on the courts at this point is for states that flat out refuse to follow the bill of rights at even a basic level. Stoked to see the rest of the country get it right but for some of us we need a referee.

        • Mark, not really a viable option in IL, my former home state. The state supreme court has routinely kicked the can back to lower courts on the unconstitutionality of the FOID card. They’ll do everything they can to avoid a case and ruling that expands firearm rights.

      • He got hit by the Feds with RICO among other charges. There are many more political heads to fall in Illinoistan.

  8. I have been invited to a ‘Madison Meetup’ next week. Apparently, it is like a book club, except the topic is The Constitution. Might be fun. Love to participate with like- minded folk who actually know enough about the Constitution to have a discussion. Certainly, the 2A will become a topic.

    • Even if it doesn’t there is a lot to cover in the 1st 4th 5th and 6th as well as the idea of incorporation. Reminds me I need to make time for the John Birch society next month.

    • Tim,

      You have no idea how much I would love to see Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan join the constitutional carry club and make the entire Midwest (with the exception of Illinois which will never happen) a giant constitutional carry bloc.

      Sadly, I believe the odds are exceedingly low that Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan will ever enact constitutional carry. And if I had to place odds on which of those three states would be first to do it, I think it would be Wisconsin. I don’t ever see Minnesota coming around. Michigan might — MIGHT — enact constitutional carry if some weird confluence of events puts a supermajority of Republicans in their state legislature AND a conservative Republican into the Governor’s office.

  12. Forgetting, for a moment, that most of the “constitutional carry” states aren’t really “constitutional carry” (they’re more “permitless carry”, which is quite a different thing), I am ALL IN FAVOR of every successful effort to beat back the idiot “gun safety” laws the Leftist/fascists keep trying to shove down our throats. ANY progress in this direction is to be lauded, even if it’s not what we’d ultimately like. We need to emulate the fascist Left’s “incrementalist” policies – ANY movement in the ‘right’ direction is worth supporting. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

    • “permitless carry” and “constitutional carry” are the same thing under the current definitions used where “constitutional carry” is also called “permitless carry”, “unrestricted carry”, or “Vermont carry” and refers to the legal public carrying of a handgun, either openly or concealed, without a license or permit.

      More formally, Constitutional carry or permitless carry refers to legislation, generally at the state level, that allows anyone who can legally possess a firearm to carry it concealed on or about their person without any requirement that the gun owner obtains a license or permit.

      https://www.concealedcarry.com/law/in-depth-constitutional-carry-and-permitless-carry/

      What is your definition of “permitless carry” that makes it quite a different thing from “constitutional carry” ?

      • .40 cal Booger,

        Good points and good question.

        If I had to guess, LampofDiogenes is referring to “true constitutional carry” as a situation where there are no laws referring to bearing of arms.

        For example “true” constitutional carry would not allow laws which prohibit bearing arms in “pistol free zones” such as entertainment venues, schools, churches, etc. Similarly, “true” constitutional carry would not allow laws which prohibit bearing loaded rifles and shotguns in readily accessible areas of vehicles. Finally, “true” constitutional carry would not allow laws to interfere with any “responsible” individual (potentially including 14 year-olds and older as well as ex-convicts who are not on probation) to bear arms.

        Think of that last example regarding “responsible” individuals, especially a responsible 14 year-old. There are countless truly responsible 14 year-olds who could responsibly/safely hunt by themselves. They would thus need the ability to walk and potentially even ride a bicycle or all-terrain-vehicle to/from their hunting location with their firearm. And, God-forbid we ever find ourselves in a Ukraine-Russia war situation, there are countless truly responsible 14 year-olds who may truly need to bear arms to defend themselves, their families, and their homes from looters as well foreign invaders. As it stands right now, there is not a single state in the United States where a 14 year-old can do that right now without running afoul of state or federal law.

      • Permitless carry often might include poison-pills that might infringe 4A and 5A. Constitutional carry does not.

    • I want my Coffee, HOT, my Scotch and Rye room temp. And beer in batter not a fan otherwise.

      Friend said, “They have a Coffee Stout, you would like it.” My reply was if beer tasted like coffee I would drink beer. But to ruin coffee by putting it in beer is just plain mean.

      • I doubt there’s any coffee in the coffee stout. Roasting malted barley has the same effect as roasting coffee beans. The coffee stout most likely uses ‘coffee malt’. Most stouts use either black patent or roasted barley and chocolate malt. Black patent is the darkest roast and tastes like burnt toast. Roasted barley is much nicer. A little goes a long way, 4 ounces roasted barley + 8 ounces chocolate malt for a 6 gallon batch. Another pound of crystal 60L and 7 pounds of 2 row malt. Fuggles (or similar) for aroma and I usually use nugget hops for bittering because I’m cheap and they’re potent. Not sure but I’m thinking coffee malt is in between roasted barley and chocolate malt.

        It’s really hard to screw up a dark beer – I don’t know how Guiness manages to. Got a dunkelweis that’s insanely good.

        • BTW, if you’re using crushed malt instead of grinding your own you’ll want to up the 2 row a bit – 8+ pounds. Stouts should always be less than 5% ABV unless you’re making an imperial stout but that’s Russian beer, not Irish. 9+% on imperial stouts. The Russians are the true masters of alcoholism.

        • I’ll grind coffee beans, I’ll make Tiramisu, I’ll cook pork shoulder in coffee and make gravy. I’ll leave the beer things to those who like beer. I could take German Visen beer when I was stationed in Germany. But I’ll stick to my coffees and Scotch and ryes and leave the beer to others.

        • DOOD! Dunkelweis is DARK WHEAT. Best of both worlds. I also make a wicked (in the New England sense) Riggenbeir (rye beer). The rye lends such a spiciness you’d think it was a Belgian Wit (Blue Moon). The Belgian monks were the true insane geniuses of brewing. If you’re up for an adventure try a lambic. It’s kind of like yogurt beer but in a good way. They come in various fruit flavors or plain. I’ve made a pomme (apple) a couple of times. Interesting process, and yes, when you pull the lid off it’s supposed to smell like dirty gym socks. Nothing 8 pounds of grannysmith apples can’t fix.

          Not yet to the point where dropping $300 on a bottle of single malt scotch is no big deal so, maybe someday. Any recommendations?

  14. The Message that 24 States (and counting) are sending to the National authorities is:

    You had your chance to protect the good, hard working citizens of this country for the past 50 years. You failed in every imaginable way.

    Our Turn.

  15. This was the second year a constitutional carry bill passed the Indiana House but got hung up in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It only made it out this time because of 11th hour actions by a few Republican senators led by Sen. Eric Koch. They stripped the language out of a House bill in conference committee and inserted the constitutional carry bill language into it, and then got it passed through the House and Senate on the last day of the session. The vote in the Senate was 30-20, nine Republican senators voted no with the majority of Democrats.

  16. .40 cal: yes, Liz Brown and Rodric Bray still need to be primaried. We haven’t forgotten.

  17. It kinda makes you wonder,
    How many Constitutional Carry states will it take before national reciprocy has a very real and fighting chance? 25? 35? 40?
    There are obviously some A-hole states that will never willingly submit but what would it take to force their submission?

  19. You guys don’t know half the story in what it took to get CC passed here in Indiana. I know because I busted my ass off (along with a few dozen other great Hoosiers here, especially Guy Relford, a local 2A attorney and Head Honcho of the Hoosier 2A Project).

    This year makes the seventh year in a row trying to get this passed by the super-majority herd of RINOs who occupy our General Assembly. And Holcomb is RINO-in-chief. He would’ve vetoed this bill if he thought he could get away with it. Doug Carter, superintendent of the Indiana State Police busted his balls trying to prevent this bill from becoming law, and he has Holcomb’s ear.

    The thing is, Holcomb has a hard-on for a US Senate seat, and he knows damn well if he had vetoed this bill, he’d never have a ghost of a chance at winning the primary.

    Nevertheless, it’s finally done. What we have to do now is primary out the RINOs like Sen. Liz Brown (R) of Ft. Wayne, the single biggest opponent.

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