House Bill 1077 was passed in March by the state legislature, went into effect Friday, and allows people over the age of 18 to carry a handgun without a permit. Exceptions to the law include people with felonies, restraining orders against them or a mental illness that makes them dangerous, the Associated Press reported. Police advocates told the AP that the permits helped screen for dangerous people with guns. “We have to go through a step or two before we can run a criminal background check,” state police spokesman Capt. Ron Galaviz told the AP. “We won’t necessarily be able to do it there on the side of the road.” Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin told WDRB the law would make people afraid in public. “A guy can stand out there — or a girl or whoever with a rifle or an AR-15 or a pistol — and stand there on a sidewalk looking at the school,” Goodin told WDRB. “The difference is this: We can’t even stop and ask them what they’re doing because of this law.” Across the country, conservatives have renewed attention to laws protecting the right to bear arms. Some of the laws, such as the Louisiana and Ohio bills allowing teachers to carry guns, were proposed and passed after the shootings at Robb Elementary School and the TOPS grocery store in May. Instead, the shootings prompted lawmakers in Congress to pass more federal gun restrictions. The restrictions include ending the “friend loophole,” red flag laws that allow authorities to take guns from people deemed a threat to the public, and enhanced background checks for people under 21 who want to buy a gun. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the U.S. Constitution protects the right to bear arms outside the home. The law struck down a New York state law that required people registered to carry guns outside their homes to provide a valid reason for doing so. Indiana State Police did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
