Email I sent out to my reps. I'm phone shy:
I used examples gathered from this thread to craft my email, namely the use of 'gun free islands' and the scenario of being pulled over in NJ.
Well hello there, I hope that this reaches an actual individual for review.
As law abiding gun owner, lifetime LTCH holder and just a regular guy who advocates strengthening all of our core rights I'm very happy to see Indiana move forward with introducing some very positive bills, namely:
House Bill 1143 - Which would prevent a campus or university from barring individuals from legally carrying a firearm on their premises.
It is important Indiana stands strong and doesn't create more 'gun free islands'. As you may or may not know already, in the somewhat recent tragic shooting in a Florida State college library one individual who was shot was a firearms owner and a licensed carrier, but legally was unable to carry on campus and became a victim. Don't let local Hoosiers become easy prey and victims in the most unfortunate of scenarios, please.
House Bill 1144 - This is a big one and I would love to see it pushed forward. Indiana State Police must be quite overwhelemed with the increase of LTCH applications over the last few years and citizens are tired of waiting months to receive a license that simply grants a right that all people should have regardless.
Introducing 'Constitutional Carry' in Indiana sends a message that Hoosiers are a freedom loving state and would join the ranks of just a few others like it. One concern though is that I would like to see the LTCH system still operated and maintained, as the licenses already issued would still hold reciprocity with other states. As of now my LTCH allows me to legally carry in 30-something other states, without it, I would not be able to travel as a free man. I support constitutional carry in Indiana 100%, even if it means I lose my ability to travel outside of the state as I would like, though I do hope that this will be taken into serious consideration as many LTCH holders are not as understanding as I am and would be upset over losing the ability to be recognized by other states as 'fit for carrying', even if they could do so locally without a license. For that reason I think it's great to remove the requirement to carry within Indiana, but to maintain the LTCH system for reciprocity with other states.
House Bill 1244 - This seems like a sort of common sense bill and even if passed is one that I hope would be rarely referenced or required (meaning that something bad would happen to someone before they could take action that is outlined in this bill).
Those are three excellent bills that I hope you will support! And just for fun, in case someone is actually reading this I've got one bill that I'd like to see done away with and tossed in the can:
House Bill 1029 is counter productive and serves no positive purpose and has several real negatives. For starters, when a police officer runs your plate numbers he or she will be made aware of your firearm licensing status, having this stamped on your Drivers License is unneeded. A law abiding LTCH holder is also not an individual the officer should fear regardless, only a criminal with a firearm should be feared and as a criminal they would be unlikely to have an LTCH to begin with (due to background checks) and thus wouldn't have the stamp on their licenses.
But what about other people who see my license? Should the clerk need to know I am a firearms owner/carrier when paying with card when they request to see my ID? What about when I am carded when buying a bottle of wine? Should that individual also be made aware of this somewhat private and personal decision I have made, to become a licensed firearm carrier? How would I be treated if I get pulled over while driving in a state with much less freedom then Indiana, for example New Jersey and officer so-and-so sees I am a firearms owner by looking at my drivers license... what level of inconvenience would I face then? Handcuffed and searched over a 'reasonable suspicion' of having a firearm, all because it is stamped on my drivers license that I have my LTCH? So many negatives and no positives here.
While I understand the intention was likely good, it solves zero problems and creates many more. It's a bill that I hope gets flushed as it serves no real practical purpose and I trust that you will see and understand this as well.
Apologies for the long winded email and thank you for your valuable time.
All the best.
I used examples gathered from this thread to craft my email, namely the use of 'gun free islands' and the scenario of being pulled over in NJ.