(INDIANAPOLIS) – Indiana Senator Todd Young says he hopes to support the gun reform bill being finalized in the Senate.
Young cautions he still needs to see the final language, but he says he’s supportive of plans to help states with so-called red flag laws like Indiana’s. The framework outlined by negotiators a week ago would offer states funding to train courts and prosecutors on how to enforce the laws, which allow family members to request a hearing on whether someone poses a risk of violence and should temporarily surrender any firearms.
Young says he hasn’t seen anything so far that would undermine Second Amendment rights. “I would emphasize you can also undermine Second Amendment rights by failing to act reasonably when a hand is extended by some of your colleagues,” Young says
And Young praises the bill’s proposed spending on mental-health resources as “incredibly bold” and overdue.
Negotiators have indicated the final sticking point has been the so-called boyfriend loophole. You can’t buy a gun if you’ve been convicted of domestic violence, but that only applies if you and the victim were married. Senators trying to close that loophole have been struggling with the wording. Young says he hasn’t seen the wording under discussion, but says some fellow senators have expressed concern about making sure due process rights are protected. He says if senators can’t work it out, it might be better to move ahead with the rest of the bill.
Senators have been hoping to finalize the bill in time for a vote before a two-week recess begins at the end of the week.
