House Republicans kill their own bill in attempt to block DeLaney’s commonsense firearm storage amendment

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Republicans last week squandered their own House Bill 1159, blocking an attempt from State Representative Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) to enact responsible firearm storage standards that would ensure guns don’t end up in the wrong hands.

Amendment #1 would have prohibited keeping or storing firearms in a place where a child or at-risk individuals could gain access.

“The proposal should have resulted in a non-partisan vote and I am disappointed in Republican apathy toward these issues,” DeLaney says. “It is a commonsense safety practice supported by the majority of firearm owners in Indiana and across the country.

“Part of responsible gun ownership is keeping guns out of the hands of children, or any individual that would pose a risk to themselves or others. The amendment would’ve held gun owners in Indiana accountable to that standard. I am disappointed sensible measures like this fail time and time again at the expense of our children and our communities because the super-majority is unwilling to have these conversations.”

According to EveryStat, in Indiana, in an average year, 907 people die by guns. Indiana has the 19th highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S.

It is reported that an estimated 4.6 million American minors live in homes with firearms. According to a survey of gun owners conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 54 percent of gun owners report storing their firearms in conditions they deemed less than safe. As a consequence, 18 percent of all gun injuries occur because of improper storage.

On Jan. 30, House Republican leadership removed House Bill 1159 authored by Rep. Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) from the calendar. Schaibley’s legislation would have added factors a court may consider when determining whether or not to expunge a juvenile record.

House Republicans killed their own legislation by having it disappear from the House calendar, which mean no amendments could be offered.