STATEHOUSE (Feb. 5, 2018) — The House of Representatives today voted
in support of State Rep. Tim Wesco’s (R-Osceola) bill that would eliminate fees
for obtaining a lifetime permit to carry a handgun.
Wesco said currently, a lifetime
permit costs over $100. This proposed legislation would remove the fees for lifetime
licenses beginning July 1, 2019, however, permit holders would still have to undergo
a background check every time they buy a gun.
“Hoosiers have both a state and
federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” Wesco said. “With this
legislation, we would eliminate the burdensome fees Hoosiers face when applying
for a lifetime handgun carry permit.”
Wesco’s legislation would also
increase the duration of a four-year permit to five years. An individual would
not have to repeat the background check with every purchase of a firearm under
this permit.
Law enforcement officers would
still have to perform a national, fingerprint-based criminal background check
and consult available local, state and federal criminal history data banks when
determining whether the possession of a firearm by a license applicant would be
a violation of state or federal law.
