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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2009 - 10:45:21 AM |
On the day after Independence Day, Indiana announced that House Enrolled Act 1176 had passed.
This
is a law which, among other provisions, allows Indianians (?) to buy a
single pistol permit which would be effective for the life of the
carrier. That is, there is no need to renew it every two, three, four
or five years as is the practice in most states which require a permit
to carry (or transport) a weapon.
Residents
do not need a permit to buy handguns or other firearms but must have
one to carry or transport a pistol. State Police officials said Indiana
has about 288,000 active handgun permits. Permits are good for four
years, but now gun owners have the option of obtaining a lifetime
permit instead.
The lifetime permit costs more (how
much more, the IndyStar article fails to mention), but it removes the
annoying requirement to renew it periodically, with the added expense
... which will be greater, over a period of
greater than 20 years, than
the lifetime permit.
Reading the actual act (
see 1176 link above),
a four year license costs $10. A lifetime license costs $50 for a
new applicant, or about the same as five four-year licenses ... which
is 20 years of licensing. A person who already holds a
license can convert to a lifetime license for $40.
As a guideline, according to the IndyStar: "If
all applicants sought lifetime licenses, rather than four-year
licenses, revenue would increase to about $4 million for the first four
years, said (State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell). However, he said, not all gun owners are expected to seek the lifetime licenses."
This
is a watershed movement which suggests that the great state of Indiana
is really more concerned about serving its citizens than controlling
them. One assumes that this minimizes the paperwork and overhead of
renewing permits, while bringing in approximately the same amount of
revenue to the state. Since the fees for renewing a license are
purportedly to pay for the labor of handling the paperwork, the larger
fee for a "Lifetime License" is probably pure profit to the State, and
about the same (or more) which a permit holder would be expected to pay
over a period of, say, 20 years.
What's not to like?
The Brady Bunch, other than calling the new law "ludicrous", has a few thoughts on that question:
(Peter Hamm, communications director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence)
, which advocates for stricter gun-control laws, said he has concerns
about the ability of law enforcement to track and react to crimes that
people commit after they obtain lifetime permits. And, he argued, the
"hassle" of having to renew permits is overstated.
"Responsible gun owners understand that some gun owners ought to be checked out every four years," he said.
Ashley
Varner, spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, said her
organization is "very pleased" with the Indiana law. In regards to the
Brady Campaign's objections, Varner added that people who make the
effort to obtain a permit are not the ones to worry about.
"They're the ones you should trust," she said. "They've gone through the hoops and background checks. They're the good people."
The
same can be said for the Indiana State Legislators. In this single act,
they have returned the trust of the people who elected them, and added
to the state coffers at no cost to the taxpayers.
They have also hawked a great big lugie in the eyes of the elitist/statist rascals who see the average American as mindless lumpen proletariat with no finer qualities than base animal instincts.
If
you think that this sort of contract of respect between Americans and
their state legislators is a good idea, why don't you write to your own
state legislators and suggest that they follow the lead of Indiana?
I did.
Here's a good place to start.
© Copyright 2006 by DOWN RANGE TV
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