A new bill brought up to the U.S. Senate is aiming to remove questions related to DUI convictions and other alcohol-related misdemeanors from the application forms for gun licenses. According to the bill's sponsor, Republican State Senator James Tomes of Wadesville, Indiana, DUI convictions should not be used as a basis for denying gun ownership in the state.
Currently, one of the requirements to own a gun in Indiana is that the applicant should not have any DUI convictions. Failure to follow this requirement would result in automatic denial, The Indy Channel has learned.
But for Senator Tomes, cases like driving under the influence of alcohol are only considered as misdemeanors. As such, these should not be used as grounds for rejecting an application. The politician, however, noted that if the DUI conviction is connected to a felony, then it could be used by the state to deny the applicant a license for gun ownership.
"All I was trying to do was just get the State Police to remove those words, 'Including a DUI?'" Tomes said according to Nuvo.net. "State Police can still do these checks on handgun applications."
"Anybody in the system is gonna get pulled up," he added. "You've got domestic violence. You've got DUIs to the point where you've got a felony. You're through."
The bill was immediately opposed by various groups including the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. According to the critics, the bill is aiming to loosen the requirements on gun ownership.
They argued that through the bill, the chances of domestic violence perpetrators in legally obtaining a firearm will increase. They also noted that around 80 percent of domestic violence cases involve alcohol abuse, WBIW.com reported.
The Senate discussed the details of the bill earlier this week but failed to come up with a vote regarding its passing. The lawmakers are scheduled to meet again on Jan. 20 to resume their discussions on the bill.
