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New Gun Legislation Takes Effect In Indiana - Seriously?
July 10, 2015
Last week in the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce office we were discussing recent legislative changes taking effect July 1, and office manager Monique mentioned that it is now lawful for Indiana residents to own a sawed-off shotgun.
While a supporter of our 2nd Amendment, I questioned that anyone would seriously introduce legislation that would make it legal to own a sawed-off shotgun, and yet, there it was, Senate Bill 433, signed into law. Under this new law, a sawed-off shotgun is defined as "a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 19 inches in length." Have you ever witnessed the destructive power of one of these weapons?
The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and was adopted Dec. 15, 1791. This was viewed as a natural right of self-defense, and while it has been tested throughout the ages, it still remains as a constitutional right for all citizens of the U.S.
I guess what makes the idea of legally owning a sawed-off shotgun somewhat preposterous is that we tell fast-food chains what they can and cannot serve in order to protect customers from “fatty” foods, but yet a person can now drop into their favorite gun shop, buy a sawed-off shotgun, and no one will think twice about it?
Seriously?
I guess you could use such a weapon to hunt pheasants and rabbits, provided you are first able to walk right up to them and shake their wing/paw, because that is how close you would have to be with a sawed-off shotgun to make it effective.
Legislators who passed this bill state that the new law will bring Indiana state law into conformity with federal regulations allowing the ownership of short-barreled shotguns by people who pass background checks.
Over the 4th of July weekend, nearly 50 people were shot in the Chicago area. I wonder if they all passed their background checks?
Dave Ryan is the executive director of the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. The opinions expressed are his own. He can be reached at dryan@lakeshorechamber.com or (219) 931-1000.
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