SB 158: “Possession of Firearms at State Universities”

Update on SB 158 From Jim Tomes at the 2nd Amendment Patriots:

Sadly, for most the 26th of December marks the end of Christmas. For the rest of us, it is just the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas.

Our dear friend and loyal guardian of gun rights in Indiana, Senator Johnny Nugent, will be introducing SB 158.

I received a copy of this bill in the mail and the good Senator and I had a phone discussion last Saturday about the importance of this proposal.

When it comes to gun rights we want it all, as we should! I want it all. Senator Nugent wants it all. You want it all. If you don’t, you should.

If it were up to me I’d repeal ALL gun laws and just use a few rules, very few because they would be more than sufficient.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where logic dominates so we have to be pragmatic. SB 158 is a practical bill that will provide carry on campus.

For those who have never witnessed the process of moving a bill through the legislature from the drawing board to a governor’s desk it may not be clear why we can’t get it all at once.

The lifetime handgun license was the product of more than three years in the making. It was the result of some crafty maneuvering in the final months of the session that brought it to life.

It’s going to take the same application to make carry on campus a reality. Since the make up of our legislature has changed, our work is more complicated.

SB 158 reads like this:

Possession of firearms at state universities. Prohibits a state college or university from regulating in any manner the ownership, possession, sale, transfer, or transportation of firearms or ammunition.

Here is why Sen. Nugent and I think this is the approach we take. We would like for SB 65 to become law, but beyond a shadow of a doubt this bill is going to hit a buzz saw at first light. That’s not to say it won’t make it, but we must be practical.

There is a swarm of people who will come out against this bill: Teachers, school boards and administrators. Some police agencies that can’t overcome their beliefs that only they should have firearms will oppose us and then there are the many liberal legislators who will fight us on this.

Here’s the reasoning for making SB 158 our trump card on carry on campus. If we can get this into law it will allow us to have proof what we’ve been broadcasting for years.

Allowing licensed citizens to have their guns with them on these premises will establish our point. It will be a notch in our belt to support our efforts to bring the same safe, reasonable and logical practice to all schools, private, public, elementary, cooking, automotive, you name it schools.

As I said, for us to be successful we have to be willing to call and write the legislature when asked to do so.

The group in Lafayette will be providing a petition for folks to sign asking legislators to support the bills already filed, SB 29, SB 65, SB 66, and HB 1043.

We all need to get these to area gun shows, meetings,etc. for signatures. Remember they must be signed and legible and only the originals can be delivered to the legislature. Photo copies of signed petitions are invalid, generally.

At our meeting this Saturday we will have postcards for everyone to fill out and sign to send to key legislators asking for support.

Again I want to remind anyone who has a B.O.R.D. yard sign to please bring them to the meeting.

If you can let us know if you’re coming it will help Margie and me to prepare for the meal.

Thanks,

Jim and Margie
2nd Amendment Patriots
STAY UNITED
www.2ndamendmentpatriots.org