INDIANAPOLIS— Today, the Indiana Senate passed the Conference Committee Report for HB 1296. The legislation would allow any individual to carry a firearm in public without obtaining a permit. State Senator Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis) made the following statement:

“I am disappointed that the Senate failed to listen to our law enforcement professionals, including State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, on this issue. As we’ve seen rising crime across the state and across the nation, the Senate has considered several pieces of legislation aiming to combat crime. By passing HB 1296, the supermajority seems insistent on exacerbating the issue.”

Qaddoura continued, “We should have spent those efforts passing SB 344, a bipartisan bill I offered that would have created a statewide task force to combat violent crime. We should be bringing our communities and law enforcement together to deal with these issues, not passing bad legislation over their clear and adamant objections.”