Every Picture Tells A Story, Part XVI

Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-IN) signed House Bill 1296 into law this afternoon. Hoosiers will now be allowed to carry concealed without a permit effective July 1, 2022. The state already allowed free lifetime carry permits. Indiana becomes the third state in 2022 to adopt unrestricted or permitless carry joining Ohio and Alabama. It is now the 24th state in the United States that has constitutional carry.

As the updated graphic below shows, approximately 33% of all Americans now live in a state that allows unrestricted carry. By contrast, only 25.34% of Americans lives in may-issue or virtually no-issue states.

Gov. Holcomb had this to say as to why he signed the bill.

“The Second Amendment has been debated for years, yet time and again our U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed this important constitutional right that I fully support. Twenty-three other states have laws comparable to HEA 1296. Vermont has had a constitutional carry law in place since it became a state, and several other states have had a similar law for more than a decade. HEA 1296, which I’ve signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our State. It’s important to note that if a person is prohibited, under federal or state laws, from possessing a firearm before this law goes into effect, that person will still be prohibited. And if a prohibited person has a firearm, he or she can be prosecuted. Firearm permits will remain available, without fee, to anyone who wants or needs one, such as Hoosiers desiring to carry a firearm to, through or in another state that has reciprocity with Indiana.”

Many in Indiana law enforcement had campaigned against the bill including the head of the Indiana State Police. Nonetheless, ISP Superintendent Doug Carter indicated he will work to make the bill’s passage a success. He did still encourage Hoosiers to apply for their free lifetime carry permits.

Also opposing the bill were the usual suspects within the gun control industry. In the Everytown.org press release, they now refer to themselves as “public safety advocates”. I guess that will now supersede the term “gun safety” in their lexicon.

I anticipate the state of Georgia will be the next state to pass and implement constitutional carry. Florida is off the books for this year. I would say that my home state of North Carolina will not have constitutional carry until either Roy Cooper is gone or the Republicans regain a super-majority in both houses of the General Assembly.

Democrat State Party Platforms – Hawaii To Iowa

This is part three of my ten part series on the party platforms of the various Democrat state parties with regard to firearms, gun control, and the Second Amendment. I am publishing these in five state increments. This will probably be the last for this week as I leave in the morning for the Gun Rights Policy Conference as well as AMM-Con.

Hawaii

For a state with very strict gun control laws, the Democrat Party of Hawaii has very little to say about firearms or gun control. And that may be reason as there is little more that they can do without getting even the 9th Circuit to say no. They already require both permits to purchase and the registration of all firearms.

3. MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES SAFER NOW – in schools and on the streets and in our homes (including
advancing gun control measures such as ban on assault weapons and full background checks for all; make
elimination of police corruption a priority; advance restorative justice programs for offenders and oppose
privatization of prisons and provide an effective means of assisting victims of domestic violence).

Idaho

The Democratic Party of Idaho is one of the first states that I’ve researched so far that isn’t calling for a ban on “assault weapons” (sic) or magazine restrictions. They do call for universal background checks. Nonetheless, it is good to see a state that seems to be generally out of step with the gun control lobby.

14. WE SUPPORT THE FULL TEXT OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT: “​A WELL REGULATED MILITIA, BEING NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE, THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”

● We demand universal criminal background checks.

● We demand laws that keep guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers.

● We support the rights of hunters and sportspersons in Idaho.

● We support scientific research on gun violence.

Illinois

According to Ballotpedia, the Illinois Democratic Party follows and adopts the national Democrats’ platform. The DPI’s website has no platform on it. That said, it is well known that Democrats in Illinois and especially in Chicagoland tend to be very anti-gun. There have been exceptions with Downstate Democrats but even that is changing a bit. Here is what the national platform has to say on “gun violence” (sic).

With 33,000 Americans dying every year, Democrats believe that we must finally take sensible action to address gun violence. While responsible gun ownership is part of the fabric of many communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. We can respect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping our communities safe. To build on the success of the lifesaving Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM’s)—off our streets. We will fight back against attempts to make it harder for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to revoke federal licenses from law breaking gun dealers, and ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, intimate partner abusers, other violent criminals, and those with severe mental health issues. There is insufficient research on effective gun prevention policies, which is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must have the resources it needs to study gun violence as a public health issue.

I did learn a new acronym reading this – LCAM – which stands for large capacity ammunition magazines. That’s what you and I would call standard capacity.

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Indiana

The Hoosier Democrats take a less restrictive approach to gun control than do their neighbors to the west in Illinois. They make no mention of magazines, “assault weapons” (sic), or even the favorite buzzword of gun banners, commonsense. They do call for universal background checks and closing the non-existent “gun show loophole” among other things.

Close the gun show and terrorist watch-list loophole and ensure every transaction involving the sale
of a firearm includes a comprehensive background check. Strengthen child access prevention laws to
ensure the safe storage of firearms.

Iowa

Iowa Democrats have adopted a whole laundry list of gun control items including a return to may-issue concealed carry, mandatory training, and a ban on open carry along with the usual things. They also want the Dickey Amendment which restricts the CDC from using funds to advocate for gun control repealed. Iowa Democrats also want to ban the private transfer of post-1968 firearms that that don’t have serial numbers. I’m not sure where that came from but I think it is aimed at 3-D printed guns and the like. They also oppose national concealed carry reciprocity (NCCR).

Gun Safety

We support:
340. guardian accountability for minor negligent-gun-access
341. public/private property gun-free zones
342. updated version of the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, restricting:


a. silencers/suppressors

b. bump-stocks

c. high-capacity-magazines

d. fragmentary-rounds


343. mandatory safety/proficiency training
344. expanding NICS
345. firearm transfer universal background checks
346. registration
347. waiting periods
348. just-cause Sheriff discretion issuing Concealed-Carry
349. mandatory liability insurance for gun/ammunition
owners/sellers/manufacturers
350. GVROA(2017)
351. mandatory reporting lost/stolen firearms
352. reasonable gun-regulation/responsible gun-ownership
353. gun buybacks

We oppose:
354. open-carry
355. Dickey Amendment
356. NCCR
357. private post-1968 firearms transfers without serial numbers

An Introduction To A Dying Art

When you think of the exploration of the United States and Canada in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, you have to think about trappers in their quest for beaver and other fur bearing animals. Names like Kit Carson and Jeremiah Johnson come to mind along with companies like the Hudson’s Bay Company. Likewise when you think of the adventure literature of an earlier time such as the works of James Fenimore Cooper or Jack London, the heroic figures they portrayed were often trappers. If you go back to earlier issues of Outdoor Life or Field & Stream, you will see short stories about trappers in Alaska or the Yukon and their battles against both the elements and grizzly bears.

While there are still trappers and you can still get a trapping license from every state (I think), I’d wager that there are few, if any, of us who have actually trapped or know anything more about it than what we’ve read. That is why this post in today’s Outdoor Wire about a trapper education class being held in Indiana caught my eye.

Salamonie Lake will host a free trapper education course, Oct. 5 and 6, at the Salamonie Interpretive Center.

The program is open to all ages, though youths are especially encouraged to attend. Registration is open now, and those interested are encouraged to register well in advance. The registration deadline is Sept. 30.

The program will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, with education on trapping issues, ethics and regulations. The program is sponsored by Salamonie Lake, the Indiana State Trappers Association and Indiana Conservation Officers.

Saturday afternoon, participants will set traps under supervision. Traps will be checked Sunday morning. Furbearers caught will be used in skinning and fleshing demonstrations by ISTA instructors.

Free camping is available for all course attendees on Friday and Saturday nights at the Lost Bridge West Youth Campground, within walking distance of the interpretive center.

Lunch will be provided both days. The program will end by 4:30 pm each day. Participants do not need a trapping license. Property entrance fees will be waived for participants.

To register or to get more information, call Upper Wabash Interpretive Services at (260) 468-2127.

Trappers must attend both days to receive the DNR Trapper Education Certification.

Salamonie Lake (stateparks.IN.gov/2952.htm) is at 9214 West-Lost Bridge West, Andrews, 46702.

If I lived closer to Indiana, I might just attend this course. I doubt I’d ever trap on a regular basis but would want to know some of the skills. It sure wouldn’t hurt to have these skills from a prepping standpoint in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

Death In The Long (Hoosier) Grass

Where are Jim Corbett or Peter Hathaway Capstick when you need them?

It seems something was preying on cats and dogs in Clark County, Indiana. Wildlife officials at first suspected a bobcat. However, when Indiana Department of Natural Resources examined a so-called bobcat shot one night, they discovered it was actually an immature leopard.

Some suspect that the big cat escaped from a nearby wildlife refuge but the owner of Wildlife in Need denies any of his animals have escaped. It is now suspected that it was someone’s pet leopard.

WDRB 41 Louisville – News, Weather, Sports Community

Interesting News Out Of Indiana

While State Treasurer Richard Mourdock’s win in the Indiana Republican primary over Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) was not unexpected given recent polls, it was welcome. As Sebastian notes, he was a guy “who didn’t even think enough of the Second Amendment to sign on to the Heller brief.”

However, interesting as Mourdock’s win and Lugar’s loss is, that isn’t the most interesting thing that came out of Indiana yesterday. Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) who will be facing Mourdock in the general election became the first Democrat to support the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s efforts to get Attorney General Eric Holder to comply with their subpoena. In an interview with The Daily Caller, Donnelly had this to say.

Indiana Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly told The Daily Caller on Tuesday that he supports the House oversight committee’s efforts to enforce the congressional subpoena of Attorney General Eric Holder over Operation Fast and Furious.

“One of the duties of Congress is to provide oversight of the Executive Branch,” Donnelly told TheDC. “There has been a serious allegation of federal law enforcement misconduct and we need to get to the bottom of this issue without playing partisan politics.”

Donnelly was one of 31 Democrats who sent a joint letter to President Obama in June 2011 asking that he direct Holder to comply with the Oversight Committee’s request for documents on Operation Fast and Furious.

Regardless of who wins the race between Mourdock and Donnelly, the people of Indiana will be getting a new senator who believes in their Second Amendment rights.