GOP kills 2 gun bills to duck vote on guns in Indiana Legislature, but may return

“The issue is how many more debates we have about things that have no chance of passing anyway but are being done for political purposes,” Republican Fort Wayne Senate President Pro Tem David Long said.

“We're just trying to manage the process ... without having a debate on things that are really not going to make any difference because they won't pass. They're just placed to embarrass someone.”

Senate Bill 33 would have provided an exception to a ban on guns on school property for churches that also have a connected school. House Bill 1424 contained licensing and fee changes, including eliminating some point-of-sale background checks.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said there are several vehicles the language can be put into during conference committee – the process of bill reconciliation before the session ends March 14. The language is eligible because it has passed at least one chamber.

“We're under no compulsion to debate and consider every proposal that someone from the minority especially might throw up on a bill,” he said.

Nineteen amendments were filed on the bill – eight by Republicans and 11 by Democrats. They covered both pro- and anti-gun issues.