Starting Friday, gun owners won't need a permit in Indiana to carry a handgun in public
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Starting Friday, people in Indiana will no longer need a permit to carry a handgun in public.
CBS 2's Tim McNicholas reports from Gary City Hall as the new law is stirring up controversy.
The bill's supporters and its author said it will cut out red tape for law-abiding gun owners. But critics, like the mayor of Gary, said it's counterproductive to their public safety efforts.
Here's what the law will do: Legal gun owners no longer need a permit to carry a gun in public. There are several exceptions, such as felons; they still cannot own guns.
Several police departments criticized the bill, saying it will make it harder to determine who is a legal gun owner. State police said they can no longer stop someone, pat them down, do a background check or arrest them solely because they're armed.
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said his police chief is also opposed.
"They will certainly be required to be a little bit more guarded, in terms of how they deploy officers and more importantly, when encountering potential suspects in any particular instance. It's certainly going to have to make them more thoughtful," Prince said.
Supporters said illegal gun owners don't follow laws anyway and this will allow people who want to defend themselves to carry their gun sooner.
Gun owners in Indiana don't need to have a permit to conceal their weapon. CBS 2 reached out to the author of the law and hasn't heard back.
