The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, February 23, 2022 on HB 1077, which is known as the Constitutional Carry bill in Indiana. The hearing will be in Room 130, starting at 1:30 p.m.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is where Constitutional Carry in Indiana was killed in 2021, after being passed by the Indiana House on a 65 to 31 vote. In 2022, Constitutional Carry passed the House 63 to 29, virtually the same margin of two to one.
Eight members of the Judiciary Committee are Republicans. They are Liz Brown (R), Chairman; Eric Koch (R), Ranking member; Mike Bohacek, (R), James Buck (R); Arron Freeman (R); Mike Gaskill (R); Susan Glick (R); Michael Young (R).
Two, Eric Koch and Michael Young are bill sponsors for Constitutional Carry.
Three members of the Judiciary Committee are Democrats. They are Lonnie Randolph , Ranking Minority member; Timothy Lanane (D) and Greg Taylor (D).
There are 39 Republican members of the Senate and 11 Democrat members of the Senate.
If Constitutional Carry is passed out of the Judiciary Committee to the Senate, it will likely pass the Senate. 14 Republican senators would need to vote against it to stop it. It is more likely a couple of Republican senators will vote against it in the Judiciary committee, thereby limiting the exposure of senators to just a couple. Two of the Republican Judiciary Committee members are sponsors of the bill. They are unlikely to vote against it.
The bill needs four more votes to pass out of the committee. Alternatively, three Republicans will need to join with the Democrats to stop the bill in the committee.
It is not clear if a committee vote on the bill will be held on Wednesday. More hearings and testimony might be called for.
Last year, the Judiciary Committee was used to kill Constitutional Carry. in a week, we should know if the same committee will be used to kill the bill in 2022.
It is difficult for Republicans to vote against the bill, as there have not been adverse effects in 20 states which have restored Constitutional Carry. However, many police chiefs and some sheriffs, and State Police are useful in providing an excuse not to pass the bill.
It is not easy to know who is being used by who in these circumstances.
In general, those who work the system full time have more influence. The state legislatures in Indiana are part time and their time is divided among hundreds of bills. Law enforcement administrators have divided time as well; however they only need look at a few bills. It is likely law enforcement has an strong influence on the legislators.
Some police administrators who lobbied against Constitutional Carry in Indiana are:
State Police Major Mike White.
The immediate past president of the Indiana Association of Police Chiefs, Kendallville Police Chief Rob Wiley.
Indiana State Police Major Rob Simpson.
Hamilton County Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush spoke in favor of Constitutional Carry. From wthr.com:
"This right is a God-given natural right, not one given by the government. The government should not be your plan for self-defense. It's your responsibility to protect yourself, your families, your loved ones as well as your neighbors," said Hamilton County Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush.
Opinion:
In general, Sheriffs are more likely to favor Constitutional Carry. They are elected directly by the people.
Police are a step removed. Police chiefs are hired by Mayors or City Administrators or City Councils. Police chiefs do what the people who hired them want them to do.
State police can generally be counted on to do what the Governor wants them to do.
Federal officers do what the deep state wants them to do. As seen with President Trump, those at high levels in the bureaucracy believe they decide who may be elected, not the other way around.
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