The last two sessions of the Indiana General Assembly saw the passage of several pieces of legislation supporting the Constitutional rights of lawful Hoosier gun owners.  The sponsors of a couple of bills which were very important faced stiff opposition, but were successful in getting their bills passed and signed into law.  One of those was what is generally called "the parking lot bill," which provides for an employee under most circumstances to have a legal firearm locked in the vehicle while parked in the company parking lot.  Another very important bill was the "State preemption bill," which prohibits local jurisdictions passing and enforcing firearms rules and regulations.

Hopefully, the 2012 session will be a quiet one as far as firearms legislation, but there is always a chance that a foe of Hoosiers' rights to own and bear arms will introduce something or try to amend other legislation to diminish that right.  The opponents of restricting Mayors, Councilmen, Commissioners, etc. from regulating firearms might very well attempt to undo the success of last year's preemption bill.

A couple of bills which are not specifically firearms related, but are important to Hoosier citizens in general and charities fundraising ability in particular are Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 315.  SB 1 (with 35 Senate sponsors) affirms the right of a citizen to defend against UNLAWFUL entry into a dwelling by a law enforcement officer under certain circumstances.  SB 315 provides for establishing an annual comprehensive license for national organizations and foundations and their local affiliates to have fundraisers under an umbrella license.  This is particularly important to Friends of NRA which sponsors fundraising dinners throughout the state to raise money for youth shooting sports activities.

For information on any of the bills, the website is:  www.in.gov/legislative. If you prefer to call, the number for the House of Representatives is 317-232-9600 or 800-382-9842. The Senate is 317-232-9400 or 800-382-9467.

If you haven't renewed your vehicle license plate yet, remember you can purchase an NRA plate for an extra $40, of which $25 goes to Indiana Friends of NRA to further the shooting sports right here in Indiana.

There are those in our society and some in government who disagree with the Bill of Rights and our inherent right to own and bear arms; therefore, each of us must be vigilant in protecting those rights which are ours as citizens of this Republic.