Indiana: School Security Reform Bill Passes House Committee

[Mosineer]

Indiana: School Security Reform Bill Passes House Committee, Goes to House Floor for Consideration

Contact your state Representative today in support of Senate Bill 1​

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Today, the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee passed Senate Bill 1 by a 16-7 vote. Sponsored by state Senator Pete Miller (R-24), SB 1 would establish a School Resource Officer (SRO) program in schools and sets forth their duties and responsibilities. This legislation would provide schools an effective asset in protecting our children and increasing safety. On multiple occasions, an armed presence in schools has prevented or even stopped a shooting. SB 1 would better outfit our schools to defend against future threats. This measure passed in the Indiana Senate by a 43-7 vote on February 25.

SB 1 would help increase safety in schools and would supply a measure of defense that would further keep our children out of harm’s way. It is important that you tell your state Representative to support Senate Bill 1.

SB 1 is now eligible for action on the House floor. While a date for consideration has not been set, your NRA-ILA will keep you informed as information becomes available. In the meantime, please contact your state Representative and urge him or her to support Senate Bill 1.

Contact information for your state legislators can be located here.

 

[lonehoosier]

Just sent a email. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Dorky_D]

Yay!

 

[jwh20]

Please also consider asking your Indiana Senator and Indiana House Representative to amend this bill to include the repeal of the "School Gun Free Zones" in our state.

As we've seen elsewhere, madmen and criminals are targeting schools and other "administratively" gun-free zones exactly because they know that all lawful gun owners are disarmed there. Criminals, being by definition criminals don't respect any laws. If they did, they would not be criminal.

You may want to point out that ANY undesirable action with a firearm on school property is already illegal under other Indiana law. So this particular law does nothing but ensure that those who already disregard the law or intend to commit some other crime at the schools, can do with without risk of being stopped until LE can be called and can arrive. As we certainly saw in Newtown CT, those few minutes can be life or death for many!

You should also note that a great of the people who have been charged under this statute have been otherwise lawful citizens who unintentionally carried a firearm to a school in their car or on their person and were subsequently trapped and charged with a felony for what is actually a completely lawful act. In other words, what this law calls a felony is only a felony because of this law and not because there is anything wrong with the act of lawfully carrying a firearm on school property. [Bottom line - it's STUPID!]

We have no need for "double-layer" law and when the legislature does this sort of thing, the principle of "unintended consequences" always kicks in.

Specifically you can ask for IC 35-47-9-1 to be amended as follows:

IC 35-47-9-1
Exemptions from chapter
Sec. 1. This chapter does not apply to the following:
(1) A:
(A) federal;
(B) state; or
(C) local;
law enforcement officer.
(2) A person who has been employed or authorized by:
(A) a school; or
(B) another person who owns or operates property being used by a school for a school function;
to act as a security guard, perform or participate in a school function, or participate in any other activity authorized by a school.
(3) A person who:
(A) may legally possess a firearm[STRIKE]; and
(B) possesses the firearm in a motor vehicle that is being operated by the person to transport another person to or from a school or a school function.[/STRIKE]

So this would mean that a person who can legally carry a firearm per other Indiana law could do so legally at a school.

 

[JettaKnight]

Why did Tomes vote against it?

 

[Beryllium]

Instead of amending it we could pass it as a separate bill. Lets not hold this one up and instead have an additional bill that prohibits any governments from banning guns in a public location.

 

[ModernGunner]

Instead of amending it we could pass it as a separate bill. Lets not hold this one up and instead have an additional bill that prohibits any governments from banning guns in a public location.

^^^^^ logical approach ^^^^^

 

[mrortega]

Instead of amending it we could pass it as a separate bill. Lets not hold this one up and instead have an additional bill that prohibits any governments from banning guns in a public location.

I think there was a deadline to submit new bills that is long since passed. Now they are working with the already submitted ones and all they can do is amend them.