"Constitutional Carry" refers to the ability to carry a handgun, regardless of concealment, without a permit or required training. Indiana is not considered a "constitutional carry" state because Indiana requires a permit to carry a handgun, although the statute provides several exceptions to this requirement. One of these exceptions is if a person has applied for a permit to carry a handgun as outlined in state statute. I have posted the Indiana Code below pertaining to Carrying a handgun without a license, excepted persons, people protected by protection orders, and applying for a permit. If you wish to see other codes pertaining to handguns, visit
iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2019/ic/titles/035#35-47.
The Governor is given the authority to issue Executive Orders. These orders may be utilized to suspend Indiana Statutes as the Governor deems appropriate. While I have not seen anything stating the Governor has suspended the Indiana Code pertaining to handgun permits, you have applied for the permit as required and you fall under the exception stated in the statute.
IC 35-47-2-1 Carrying a handgun without being licensed; exceptions; person convicted of domestic battery
Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) and sections 2 through 2.1 of this chapter, a person shall not carry a handgun in any vehicle or on or about the person's body without being licensed under this chapter to carry a handgun.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person may carry a handgun without being licensed under this chapter to carry a handgun if:
(1) the person carries the handgun on or about the person's body in or on property that is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise legally controlled by the person;
(2) the person carries the handgun on or about the person's body while lawfully present in or on property that is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise legally controlled by another person, if the person:
(A) has the consent of the owner, renter, lessor, or person who legally controls the property to have the handgun on the premises;
(B) is attending a firearms related event on the property, including a gun show, firearms expo, gun owner's club or convention, hunting club, shooting club, or training course; or
(C) is on the property to receive firearms related services, including the repair, maintenance, or modification of a firearm;
(3) the person carries the handgun in a vehicle that is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise legally controlled by the person, if the handgun is:
(A) unloaded;
(B) not readily accessible; and
(C) secured in a case;
(4) the person carries the handgun while lawfully present in a vehicle that is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise legally controlled by another person, if the handgun is:
(A) unloaded;
(B) not readily accessible; and
(C) secured in a case;
(5) the person carries the handgun:
(A) at a shooting range (as defined in IC 14-22-31.5-3);
(B) while attending a firearms instructional course; or
(C) while engaged in a legal hunting activity; or
(6) the person is permitted to carry a handgun without a license under section 2.1 of this chapter (persons protected by a protection order).
(c) Unless the person's right to possess a firearm has been restored under IC 35-47-4-7, a person who has been convicted of domestic battery under IC 35-42-2-1.3 may not possess or carry a handgun.
(d) This section may not be construed:
(1) to prohibit a person who owns, leases, rents, or otherwise legally controls private property from regulating or prohibiting the possession of firearms on the private property;
(2) to allow a person to adopt or enforce an ordinance, resolution, policy, or rule that:
(A) prohibits; or
(B) has the effect of prohibiting;
an employee of the person from possessing a firearm or ammunition that is locked in the trunk of the employee's vehicle, kept in the glove compartment of the employee's locked vehicle, or stored out of plain sight in the employee's locked vehicle, unless the person's adoption or enforcement of the ordinance, resolution, policy, or rule is allowed under IC 34-28-7-2(b); or
(3) to allow a person to adopt or enforce a law, statute, ordinance, resolution, policy, or rule that allows a person to possess or transport a firearm or ammunition if the person is prohibited from possessing or transporting the firearm or ammunition by state or federal law.
(e) A person who knowingly or intentionally violates this section commits a Class A misdemeanor. However, the offense is a Level 5 felony:
(1) if the offense is committed:
(A) on or in school property;
(B) within five hundred (500) feet of school property; or
(C) on a school bus; or
(2) if the person:
(A) has a prior conviction of any offense under:
(i) this section; or
(ii) section 22 of this chapter; or
(B) has been convicted of a felony within fifteen (15) years before the date of the offense.
As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.32. Amended by P.L.326-1987, SEC.1; P.L.195-2003, SEC.6; P.L.98-2004, SEC.155; P.L.118-2007, SEC.35; P.L.164-2011, SEC.1; P.L.6-2012, SEC.231; P.L.158-2013, SEC.573; P.L.221-2017, SEC.1.
IC 35-47-2-2 Excepted persons
Sec. 2. Section 1 of this chapter does not apply to:
(1) marshals;
(2) sheriffs;
(3) the commissioner of the department of correction or persons authorized by the commissioner in writing to carry firearms;
(4) judicial officers;
(5) law enforcement officers;
(6) members of the armed forces of the United States or of the national guard or organized reserves while they are on duty;
(7) regularly enrolled members of any organization duly authorized to purchase or receive such weapons from the United States or from this state who are at or are going to or from their place of assembly or target practice;
(8) employees of the United States duly authorized to carry handguns;
(9) employees of express companies when engaged in company business; or
(10) any person engaged in the business of manufacturing, repairing, or dealing in firearms or the agent or representative of any such person having in the person's possession, using, or carrying a handgun in the usual or ordinary course of that business.
As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.32. Amended by P.L.164-2011, SEC.2.
IC 35-47-2-2.1"Protection order"; carrying a handgun without being licensed
Sec. 2.1. (a) As used in this section, "protection order" means a civil protection order issued under IC 34-26-5.
(b) A person may carry a handgun without a license if the person:
(1) has applied for a license to carry a handgun as described in IC 35-47-2-3;
(2) is protected by a protection order;
(3) is at least eighteen (18) years of age; and
(4) is not otherwise barred by state or federal law from possessing a handgun;
during the period described in subsection (c).
(c) A person described in subsection (b) may carry a handgun without a license for a period ending sixty (60) days after the date the protection order is issued.
As added by P.L.221-2017, SEC.2.
IC 35-47-2-3 Application for license to carry a handgun; procedure
Sec. 3. (a) A person desiring a license to carry a handgun shall apply:
(1) to the chief of police or corresponding law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the applicant resides;
(2) if that municipality has no such officer, or if the applicant does not reside in a municipality, to the sheriff of the county in which the applicant resides after the applicant has obtained an application form prescribed by the superintendent; or
(3) if the applicant is a resident of another state and has a regular place of business or employment in Indiana, to the sheriff of the county in which the applicant has a regular place of business or employment.
The superintendent and local law enforcement agencies shall allow an applicant desiring to obtain or renew a license to carry a handgun to submit an application electronically under this chapter if funds are available to establish and maintain an electronic application system.
(b) This subsection applies before July 1, 2020. The law enforcement agency which accepts an application for a handgun license shall collect the following application fees:
(1) From a person applying for a four (4) year handgun license, a ten dollar ($10) application fee, five dollars ($5) of which shall be refunded if the license is not issued
(2) From a person applying for a lifetime handgun license who does not currently possess a valid Indiana handgun license, a fifty dollar ($50) application fee, thirty dollars ($30) of which shall be refunded if the license is not issued.
(3) From a person applying for a lifetime handgun license who currently possesses a valid Indiana handgun license, a forty dollar ($40) application fee, thirty dollars ($30) of which shall be refunded if the license is not issued.
Except as provided in subsection (i), the fee shall be deposited into the law enforcement agency's firearms training fund or other appropriate training activities fund and used by the agency to train law enforcement officers in the proper use of firearms or in other law enforcement duties, or to purchase firearms, firearm related equipment, or body armor (as defined in IC 35-47-5-13(a)) for the law enforcement officers employed by the law enforcement agency. The state board of accounts shall establish rules for the proper accounting and expenditure of funds collected under this subsection.
(c) This subsection applies after June 30, 2020. The law enforcement agency which accepts an application for a handgun license shall not collect a fee from a person applying for a five (5) year handgun license and shall collect the following application fees:
(1) From a person applying for a lifetime handgun license who does not currently possess a valid Indiana handgun license, a fifty dollar ($50) application fee, thirty dollars ($30) of which shall be refunded if the license is not issued.
(2) From a person applying for a lifetime handgun license who currently possesses a valid Indiana handgun license, a forty dollar ($40) application fee, thirty dollars ($30) of which shall be refunded if the license is not issued.
Except as provided in subsection (i), the fee shall be deposited into the law enforcement agency's firearms training fund or other appropriate training activities fund and used by the agency to train law enforcement officers in the proper use of firearms or in other law enforcement duties, or to purchase firearms, firearm related equipment, or body armor (as defined in IC 35-47-5-13(a)) for the law enforcement officers employed by the law enforcement agency. The state board of accounts shall establish rules for the proper accounting and expenditure of funds collected under this subsection.
(d) The officer to whom the application is made shall ascertain the applicant's name, full address, length of residence in the community, whether the applicant's residence is located within the limits of any city or town, the applicant's occupation, place of business or employment, criminal record, if any, and convictions (minor traffic offenses excepted), age, race, sex, nationality, date of birth, citizenship, height, weight, build, color of hair, color of eyes, scars and marks, whether the applicant has previously held an Indiana license to carry a handgun and, if so, the serial number of the license and year issued, whether the applicant's license has ever been suspended or revoked, and if so, the year and reason for the suspension or revocation, and the applicant's reason for desiring a license. If the applicant is not a United States citizen, the officer to whom the application is made shall ascertain the applicant's country of citizenship, place of birth, and any alien or admission number issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or United States Customs and Border Protection or any successor agency as applicable. The officer to whom the application is made shall conduct an investigation into the applicant's official records and verify thereby the applicant's character and reputation, and shall in addition verify for accuracy the information contained in the application, and shall forward this information together with the officer's recommendation for approval or disapproval and one (1) set of legible and classifiable fingerprints of the applicant to the superintendent. An investigation conducted under this section must include the consulting of available local, state, and federal criminal history data banks, including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to determine whether possession of a firearm by an applicant would be a violation of state or federal law.
(e) The superintendent may make whatever further investigation the superintendent deems necessary. Whenever disapproval is recommended, the officer to whom the application is made shall provide the superintendent and the applicant with the officer's complete and specific reasons, in writing, for the recommendation of disapproval.
(f) If it appears to the superintendent that the applicant:
(1) has a proper reason for carrying a handgun;
(2) is of good character and reputation;
(3) is a proper person to be licensed; and
(4) is:
(A) a citizen of the United States; or
(B) not a citizen of the United States but is allowed to carry a firearm in the United States under federal law;
the superintendent shall issue to the applicant a qualified or an unlimited license to carry any handgun lawfully possessed by the applicant. The original license shall be delivered to the licensee. A copy shall be delivered to the officer to whom the application for license was made. A copy shall be retained by the superintendent for at least five (5) years in the case of a five (5) year license. The superintendent may adopt guidelines to establish a records retention policy for a lifetime license. A five (5) year license shall be valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of issue. A lifetime license is valid for the life of the individual receiving the license. The license of police officers, sheriffs or their deputies, and law enforcement officers of the United States government who have twenty (20) or more years of service shall be valid for the life of these individuals. However, a lifetime license is automatically revoked if the license holder does not remain a proper person.
(g) At the time a license is issued and delivered to a licensee under subsection (f), the superintendent shall include with the license information concerning handgun safety rules that:
(1) neither opposes nor supports an individual's right to bear arms; and
(2) is:
(A) recommended by a nonprofit educational organization that is dedicated to providing education on safe handling and use of firearms;
(B) prepared by the state police department; and
(C) approved by the superintendent.
The superintendent may not deny a license under this section because the information required under this subsection is unavailable at the time the superintendent would otherwise issue a license. The state police department may accept private donations or grants to defray the cost of printing and mailing the information required under this subsection.
(h) A license to carry a handgun shall not be issued to any person who:
(1) has been convicted of a felony;
(2) has had a license to carry a handgun suspended, unless the person's license has been reinstated;
(3) is under eighteen (18) years of age;
(4) is under twenty-three (23) years of age if the person has been adjudicated a delinquent child for an act that would be a felony if committed by an adult;
(5) has been arrested for a Class A or Class B felony for an offense committed before July 1, 2014, for a Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, or Level 4 felony for an offense committed after June 30, 2014, or any other felony that was committed while armed with a deadly weapon or that involved the use of violence, if a court has found probable cause to believe that the person committed the offense charged; or
(6) is prohibited by federal law from possessing or receiving firearms under 18 U.S.C. 922(g).
In the case of an arrest under subdivision (5), a license to carry a handgun may be issued to a person who has been acquitted of the specific offense charged or if the charges for the specific offense are dismissed. The superintendent shall prescribe all forms to be used in connection with the administration of this chapter.
(i) If the law enforcement agency that charges a fee under subsection (b) or (c) is a city or town law enforcement agency, the fee shall be deposited in the law enforcement continuing education fund established under IC 5-2-8-2.
(j) If a person who holds a valid license to carry a handgun issued under this chapter:
(1) changes the person's name;
(2) changes the person's address; or
(3) experiences a change, including an arrest or a conviction, that may affect the person's status as a proper person (as defined in IC 35-47-1-7) or otherwise disqualify the person from holding a license;
the person shall, not later than thirty (30) days after the date of a change described under subdivision (3), and not later than sixty (60) days after the date of the change described under subdivision (1) or (2), notify the superintendent, in writing, of the event described under subdivision (3) or, in the case of a change under subdivision (1) or (2), the person's new name or new address.
(k) The state police shall indicate on the form for a license to carry a handgun the notification requirements of subsection (j).
(l) The state police department shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to:
(1) implement an electronic application system under subsection (a); and
(2) expedite the processing of an application made by a person described in section 2.1(b) of this chapter.
Rules adopted under this section must require the superintendent to keep on file one (1) set of classifiable and legible fingerprints from every person who has received a license to carry a handgun so that a person who applies to renew a license will not be required to submit an additional set of fingerprints.
(m) Except as provided in subsection (n), for purposes of IC 5-14-3-4(a)(1), the following information is confidential, may not be published, and is not open to public inspection:
(1) Information submitted by a person under this section to:
(A) obtain; or
(B) renew;
a license to carry a handgun.
(2) Information obtained by a federal, state, or local government entity in the course of an investigation concerning a person who applies to:
(A) obtain; or
(B) renew;
a license to carry a handgun issued under this chapter.
(3) The name, address, and any other information that may be used to identify a person who holds a license to carry a handgun issued under this chapter.
(n) Notwithstanding subsection (m):
(1) any information concerning an applicant for or a person who holds a license to carry a handgun issued under this chapter may be released to a federal, state, or local government entity:
(A) for law enforcement purposes; or
(B) to determine the validity of a license to carry a handgun; and
(2) general information concerning the issuance of licenses to carry handguns in Indiana may be released to a person conducting journalistic or academic research, but only if all personal information that could disclose the identity of any person who holds a license to carry a handgun issued under this chapter has been removed from the general information.
(o) A person who knowingly or intentionally violates this section commits a Class B misdemeanor.
As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.32. Amended by P.L.26-1990, SEC.15; P.L.48-1993, SEC.5; P.L.140-1994, SEC.6; P.L.269-1995, SEC.6; P.L.2-1996, SEC.284; P.L.27-2001, SEC.1; P.L.120-2001, SEC.1; P.L.49-2005, SEC.2; P.L.187-2005, SEC.3; P.L.190-2006, SEC.2; P.L.155-2007, SEC.1; P.L.47-2010, SEC.1; P.L.34-2010, SEC.4; P.L.158-2013, SEC.574; P.L.17-2017, SEC.3; P.L.221-2017, SEC.3; P.L.86-2018, SEC.335; P.L.107-2019, SEC.8.
