Haggard
Freshman State Rep. Craig Haggard’s first bill is heading to the governor’s desk.
Haggard, a Republican from Mooresville, authored House Bill 1323, which would limit what information the federal government can request on lawful Hoosiers with handgun carry permits.
The bill passed out of the Indiana Senate by a 47-0 vote on March 14 and is now heading to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. It had passed the House in February by a vote of 81-13.
HB 1323 shields Indiana handgun permit holders’ background check information from being provided to the federal government upon request, unless an individual is arrested for a crime or part of an active criminal investigation. Haggard said he authored the bill after learning about a letter the FBI sent to all county sheriffs’ offices in Missouri last year seeking to randomly audit their records on concealed carry handgun permit holders. Missouri already had a law on the books restricting what confidential information can be shared with the federal government. The sheriffs there ultimately declined the FBI’s requests.
“There have been examples of federal agencies requesting personal information on citizens simply because they’re gun owners,” Haggard said in a statement Tuesday. “Generally, local and state law enforcement agencies already have rules restricting what information they share unless it involves a crime or suspicion of one. This legislation would put those guardrails into law. The federal government should never target law-abiding Hoosiers for political reasons.”
In 2022, Indiana passed a law allowing permit-less carry in the state, which means lawful residents can carry a handgun without a government-issued permit. Anyone who was prohibited from carrying a handgun prior to the law is still prohibited under the current law, and no changes were made to the requirements to purchase a firearm. Hoosiers can still choose to apply for handgun carry permits from the Indiana State Police or local police, which includes an application that asks for personal information and fingerprints.
The status of bills from the 2023 legislative session sent to Holcomb can be checked by visiting in.gov/gov/newsroom/2023-bill-watch/
