Indiana lawmaker wants law to require secure gun storage in homes
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A state lawmaker wants to make gun storage safety mandatory inside gun owners’ homes.
State Sen. Jim Merritt said the Noblesville school shooting caused him to come up with this proposal. David Moore, who was 13 years old during the May 25 shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, is accused of shooting student Ella Whistler and teacher Jason Seaman. Both victims survived the shooting. Investigators said Moore had two handguns in his backpack.
Merritt, a Republican from Indianapolis, said the main goal of his proposal would be to require parents to keep guns secure and away from children. Merritt is proposing a bill that would require gun owners to keep guns out of reach of children inside the home.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in most cases, it’s illegal for a child younger than 18 to have a handgun or ammunition.
“In the state of Indiana, there’s no law about gun storage,” Merritt said. “That’s what we’re trying to get to. We support the right to have arms, but we just want the guns to be stored safely in our homes.”
“There’s not a demarcation in the home of where the gun has to be. There just has to be a storage system in a home where the children just cannot get to them.”
Merritt said that his proposal would send a strong reminder “to those that own guns that safety is No. 1. Should your child get a hold of a gun, then you’re responsible.”
If the bill becomes a law, how would it be enforced?
“This would not enable law enforcement to go into a home and check to see if your guns are stored safely. This would be more of a reactive part of it,” Merritt said.
Opinions on the proposal varied.
Jimmy Yang said, “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. I think the average kid can’t break into a gun safe. Will it stop criminals? I don’t think so.”
Terry Wagner said, “The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
About children having guns in Indiana, Indianapolis attorney A. Kassi Rigney, a founding partner at
Rigney Law said, “In a nutshell, current Indiana law focuses on the criminalization of providing a firearm to a minor when the parent or guardian knew or should have known that the minor was going to commit a felony. And a parent or guardian failing to take reasonable precautions in preventing a child using a firearm in a felony.”
Rigney is not connected to the legislative proposal. “There isn’t anything just criminalizing the negligence of leaving a firearm accessible to a child.”
Merritt said most gun owners in our state already keep their guns safe and secure.
The state lawmaker said he’s reaching out to the National Rifle Association right to get suggestions on how the bill could be better.
He’s not sure how the legislation will be received in the Statehouse, but he’s hopeful for bipartisan support.
