Statewide officeholders handgun carry privilege restored in finalized bill — but not for staff

Holders of four statewide offices will soon be eligible to carry handguns in the Statehouse and the broader state capitol complex property.

House lawmakers killed the original piece of legislation, but negotiators for both chambers brought the provision back from the dead in the final draft of a separate bill dealing with firearm owners and businesses.

Now it goes to the governor — but without the original bill’s expansion to staff.

House Bill 1084 would apply to the attorney general, secretary of state, state comptroller and treasurer of state. Treasurer Daniel Elliott has been a vocal supporter of the legislation.

The provisions began life in Senate Bill 14, which passed its originating chamber but didn’t get a hearing in the House.

It bestowed carry privileges on the four officeholders’ staffers as well, which would’ve made an estimated 700 additional people in and around the Statehouse eligible to carry handguns. Opponents didn’t like that the officeholders would’ve set their own policies for employees, so that staff in different offices could’ve been subject to different standards.

That expansion didn’t make it into a final draft. Lawmakers’ staffers have had the carry right since 2017. So have Indiana Lobby Registration Commission members.

The negotiated version of the bill also removes handgun permit requirements for lawmakers, their staffers, and commission members. Republicans have indicated that’s in line with 2022’s permitless carry law.

Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, objected to the permit requirement removal. He expressed concern that people banned under state or federal law from carrying or even possessing guns could do so in the Statehouse without pre-approval.

It would still be illegal, however.

Protecting firearm-related privacy, financial transactions

The finalized legislation maintains its original language seeking to preserve gun owner privacy and outlaw financial discrimination against firearm-related businesses.

House panel hears gun advocate support, banker concerns on privacy bill

It includes a host of new prohibitions against:

• Government and other entities knowingly keeping lists or other records of privately owned firearms or their owners.
• Merchant acquirers and payment card networks using firearm-specific merchant category codes. Such codes mark the retailer type but don’t indicate what was purchased. They’re often used for category-based credit card rewards or by consumers to budget.
• Financial services providers refusing to process transactions with companies because of a firearm-specific code and disclosing financial records with those codes — with some exceptions.

The bill also tasks financial regulators and the Indiana Attorney General with making sure provides comply. It lays out a legal process that could end in civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

Multiple gun retailers and related business owners complained of discrimination from their banks and insurance companies, alleging abrupt account closures and more.

But banks and credit unions spoke against the regulatory burdens and said they feared lawsuits and punishments over things — like the codes — not always within their control.

Correction: This story has been corrected to note that General Assembly professional staff were authorized to carry in 2017. Lawmakers already had the right.