Two competing bills in the Indiana House seek to
make domestic violence less deadly for women — one by removing guns from the
equation, one by adding more guns, report the Indianapolis Star. Only one of them is advancing.
Moving forward is a bill that would enable victims
of domestic violence to get a handgun as soon as a judge grants a protective
order against their abuser.
Going nowhere is a bill that would quickly deprive
an alleged abuser of his guns once he becomes subject to a protective order.
This is despite an
oft-cited study by advocacy groups that found women are five times
more likely to die in domestic violence situations when a gun is present. The
same study, published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2003, found
no clear evidence that women are safer if they have access to a gun.
The legislation that's advancing, House Bill
1071, would enable abuse victims to use a protective court order as a handgun
permit, avoiding the typical waiting periods. "It would give them a chance
to immediately protect themselves," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Sean
Eberhart, R-Shelbyville.
The Republican-controlled House Public
Policy Committee voted 8-4 along party lines to move the bill to the House
floor. The committee added an amendment to establish a group to study
repealing Indiana's law requiring a license to carry a handgun.
The legislation that has yet to be heard, House Bill
1534, would force an alleged domestic abuser who is subject to a
protective order to hand over his guns to police within 48 hours. So long as
the order remains in effect, the abuser could not buy a gun or possess a gun.
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