Your vote Matters – Kelly Myers

As I’m writing this, we are one month removed from the Indiana Primary Election. With that in mind I have one question, “Did you vote?”

Looking at the numbers there were a lot of people in Indiana who chose to sit out the 2024 Primary election. According to the Indianavoters.in.gov, there are 4,709,250 registered voters in Indiana. That’s an estimated 91% of the adult population. 814,077 voted in the 2024 Primary, that is 17%.

If you live in Brown County, there’s a roughly 3 in 10 chance you voted (31% voter turnout, the HIGHEST in the State.) If you live in Lake, St Joseph, or Marion County, the chances are roughly 1 in 10 with an 11-12% turnout.

As gun owners, WE HAVE TO SHOW UP AND VOTE!

29% of the votes in the 2024 Primary were absentee votes. This includes both early voting and traditional mail-in absentee ballots.

Having spent over 21 years in the US Air Force, I voted absentee many times over the years. I voted in person once prior to joining the USAF, in 1984 and yes, I did vote for President Reagan (so did a lot of other people.) The next time I would vote in-person would be in a special election as a Florida resident, in 2001. I voted in every election in between and since. Over 40 years of voting (yes 1984 was 40 years ago) I lived in many places and did many different things. In all those elections there was one thing in common: I was a gun owner.

While I choose to vote at the polls on Election Day, we all need to make sure we get to the polls when we can. If you can vote early? Vote early. Are you over 65? You can vote with a traditional absentee ballot in Indiana. Any way you do it, make sure you vote.

As gun owners and supporters of the 2nd Amendment, we outnumber those who oppose the freedoms we enjoy. Our majority doesn’t count unless we show up and vote.

Kelly Myers
ISRPA Government Affairs Co-Director

February 23, 2024February 27, 2024

IN Senate Committees Pass Pro-Gun Bills as 2024 Session Enters 4th Quarter

UPDATE 2-26-2024 2230: HB 1235 is up for 3rd reading TOMORROW 27 Feb. 2024! Based on votes on the two failed amendments I expect there will be resistance on 3rd reading. CONTACT YOUR SENATOR ASAP and urge him/her to support HB 1235!

We are about to start the 4th quarter of the 2024 Indiana General Assembly Legislative Session. Two Bills we’ve focused on- HB 1084 Privacy of Firearms Financial Transactions and HB 1235 Prohibited Causes of Actions Concerning Firearms– made it out of their respective committees this week and are headed to the Senate floor. THANK YOU to all of our members that took the time to contact your Representatives and Senators- your diligence has paid off! But we’re not there yet! This is a great time to step back and take a look at the “big picture”.

Since the is a “non-budget year” (Indiana’s State budget is passed every-other year on odd years) this is a “short session”. Things moved really fast in the 1st half and even faster so far in the 2nd half.

A bill which didn’t receive a lot of notoriety was House Bill (HB) 1143, Disposal of Firearms via Trade for New Equipment. HB 1143 definitely got my attention when it passed the House 83-14 with 16 Democrats voting in-favor. This bill gives law enforcement agencies more options with firearms that would go to public auction. In addition to auction, these firearms can be traded for new equipment or ammunition with other law enforcement agencies, federal firearms licensees, or licensed firearms manufacturers.

I was at the Statehouse to support another bill in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee and saw the opportunity to testify in support of HB 1143. More options lead to a better use of resources. A better use of resources leads to paying less in taxes. On 20 February HB 1143 passed the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee on a 6-2 vote. On 22 February it passed 2nd reading in the Senate with no amendments and will now upon 3rd reading have a vote in the full Senate.

Also on 20 February in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee for a hearing was HB 1235 Prohibited Causes of Actions Concerning Firearms. This bill prohibits political subdivisions from suing the gun industry and will end the 24+ year old lawsuit known as the City of Gary v Glock. This bill had passed the House on a near-party-line vote.

I had predicted in legislative alert emails that this one would be a fight. While my predictions aren’t always accurate, I was right this time. Along with the usual suspects in opposition was the lead-attorney for the Brady Campaign (formerly known as Handgun Control Inc.) A great Team from the Pro-2A side included: Guy Relford from The 2A Project, John Weber from NRA-ILA, Christopher Lee from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Constitutional Attorney Jim Bopp Jr. from Terre Haute, and myself representing the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association. We also had a few citizens representing themselves in support of HB 1235. THANK YOU to all who supported this effort!

HB 1235 passed out of committee on a 5-3 vote (not a party line vote, we had one Republication side with the Democrats.) Look for more legislative action alert emails on this one, the fight isn’t over.

On 21 February in the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions heard HB 1084 Privacy of Firearms Financial Transactions. This bill prohibits developing a registry of guns and gun owners through tracking financial transactions and merchant category codes. HB 1084 passed the House 73-22 with six Democrats voting in favor.

After the previous day’s fight with HB 1235, this day went much better. While the red-shirted Moms Demanding Action filled the front row of the hearing room, only one of them spoke in opposition. In support of HB 1084 was once again Guy Relford from The 2A Project, John Weber from NRA-ILA, myself representing the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association and a few private citizens who recognized the importance of this legislation. HB 1084 passed out of the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions on a 6-2 vote.

We are in the 4th Quarter of the legislative session but there is a lot of game yet to be played. Look for Legislative Action Alerts supporting both HB 1084 and HB 1235. Opportunities to let your State Senator know the gun owners of Indiana are paying attention will be coming soon.

In Liberty,

Kelly Myers
ISRPA Government Affairs Co-Director

November 16, 2023November 16, 2023

2024 Indiana General Assembly Opens For Business Next Week

The Indiana General Assembly kicks off the 2024 Legislative Session next week, November 21. Although a short Session, we will see many Bills impacting our 2A Rights. ISRPA will be working hand-in-hand with the NRA and NSSF on several pieces of legislation, including Bills to counter financial institutions discrimination against individuals and businesses exercising their Constitutional Freedoms by banning their ability to process credit cards and other financial transactions essential in functioning in today’s society. These financial institutions have taken an approach directly out of the Chinese Communist Party Playbook to cancel citizens from participating in society and business if they don’t adhere to strict far-left standards.

Other pieces of legislation that are expected include:

- Prohibiting firearms at polling places
- Penalties for failure to report lost or stolen firearms
- Raising the minimum age required to carry a handgun
- Penalties for privately-made firearms
- Making it harder for a person convicted of domestic battery to own a firearm
- Raising the age to buy “assault weapons”
- Protecting the Second Amendment:
  - Making federal laws, executive orders or administrative orders that infringe on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms unenforceable in Indiana.
  - Providing state income tax credits for firearm safety
  - Letting law enforcement trade confiscated firearms
  - Penalizing people who fail to safely store firearms at home
  - Keeping firearms locked and unloaded
  - Requiring liability insurance to carry a handgun