INDIANAPOLIS — Concerned members of the clergy in Indianapolis say they are already seeing what they are calling problems with Indiana’s new permitless carry law.
The law has been in effect since July 1st of this year. It allows Hoosiers to carry a handgun without a license, so long as you are not a convicted felon have another qualifying factor that keeps you from carrying a gun. The law also toughens the punishment for illegally carrying a handgun.
Pastor David Greene is part of a group of clergy in Indianapolis called the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis who are highlighting many issues they say are already being recognized.
“We’ve got young people walking around with guns now since July 1, and don’t even have a holster; they’re just carrying it in their pants pocket,” Greene said to WISH-TV. “The gun could drop, they could shoot themselves, they could shoot others.”
Greene said that carelessness with gun safety leaves him wondering how far that actually goes.
“If people are walking around with no holsters, imagine what they’re doing at home, which means children are exposed to guns with no safety locks,” he added. “There are things we need to do if it’s going to be a permitless society, that need to happen.”
Greene spoke at an event along with Indianapolis Metro Police chief Randal Taylor on Wednesday.
Taylor has been an opponent of permitless carry from the get-go along with many other law enforcement leaders who say the law is making it harder for them to enforce laws that keep people who shouldn’t be carrying a gun from doing so.
