IN: Governor Pence Signs Gun Law Reform

Indiana Governor Pence signed SEA169 and SEA229 into law yesterday, 26 March, 2014, along with 46 other bills. 

SEA 169 makes it a felony to knowingly provide a firearm to a felon.

SEA 229 is the culmination of the bills to eliminate the "roaming school zones" the school parking lot felony trap, and to prohibit the use of government money for gun turn in events, also known as "buy backs".   The ability of police agencies to destroy guns that are turned in to them was added at the last minute, the bill makes it easier for them to either sell the guns or convert them to money by selling them for parts and having the receivers destroyed.

 Guns have been banned, with exceptions, from schools since the disastrous gun free school zone act that was reenacted in 1996 after being found unconstitutional in 1995 in the famous Lopez decision.   Federal prosecutions under the act have have been extremely rare.   It has been speculated that federal prosecutors do not want to face judicial scrutiny a second time.   Several states enacted their own "gun free school zone" laws to mirror the federal regulation.  There is at least one effort to challenge these laws in the courts, in Wisconsin.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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