Thursday, April 14, 2011

Indiana Gun Law Update

It appears that last year's trend of common-sense firearms law reform is continuing in Indiana; the Senate has passed bills that would end local pre-emption of state law, make it explicitly lawful for citizens who lack a carry permit to transport an unloaded handgun, strengthen the employee protection in the law that allows persons with carry permits to have a gun locked in their car at work, and reform Indiana's long-gun purchase limits to be in line with Federal law.

Looks pretty promising.

On the other hand, over in the House, both pre-emption and the "peaceful journey" bills are still reported as "in committee." With the minority* having proven once again that holding their breath until the entire House faints is an effective legislative technique, things may be slapdash at best; at worst, we may see only the most easily-passed stuff this season.

Here's the biggo list o'bills, Souse and Hen-ate alike, from our pals at in.gov.
____________________________________________
* It's a trick both parties have played after coming up short in the general election, though this year's strike struck me as particularly egregious. Denying a quorum by sneaking out has a very long history, at least back to the 19th Century; I suppose if all the other little politicians went and jumped off a cliff over proposed legislation they disliked, our elected Representatives would go and do that, too.

5 comments:

Ritchie said...

" I suppose if all the other little politicians went and jumped off a cliff over proposed legislation they disliked, our elected Representatives would go and do that, too."

You may be on to something here.

Anonymous said...

I understand that Lincoln once jumped out a window in the state house to prevent a quorum.

Sendarius said...

If I get to pick the cliff, I would heartily endorse such behaviour.

Of course not many (if any) would survive - but that's not a bug that's a FEATURE!

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I don't understand, frankly, why as soon as a politician is voted out of office (or retires from same), he isn't taken straight to jail to start serving a life term -- just on general principles.

Oh, wait. Don't they do that with their governors in Illinois?

Steve Florman said...

In Minnesota, we once had a legislator in our territorial period who one-upped the quorum-skippers. There was a bill up to change the territorial capital from St Paul to St Peter in 1851; Joe Rolette absconded with the physical copy of the bill and disappeared until it was too late in the session to pass it. The Territorial Legislature adjourned and the capital remained in St Paul . . . pretty neat trick. :)