Yes, you can carry a gun in a bar in Indiana. State law does not prohibit handguns in bars, taverns, nightclubs, or restaurants that serve alcohol, and since July 1, 2022, Indiana has allowed most adults to carry a handgun without a permit.1Indiana State Police. Permitless Carry Website Messaging The catch is that the bar itself can tell you to leave your firearm at home, you have to be someone who’s legally allowed to carry in the first place, and drinking with a gun on you can still land you in criminal trouble under other statutes.
What Indiana Law Says About Guns in Bars
Indiana does not have a statute banning firearms in establishments that serve alcohol. That puts the state in a different posture from many of its neighbors. When Indiana eliminated its handgun license requirement on July 1, 2022, the change applied broadly: any person legally allowed to possess a firearm can now carry openly or concealed throughout the state, and the list of statutorily prohibited locations is short.1Indiana State Police. Permitless Carry Website Messaging Bars are not on it.
The main places Indiana law does prohibit handguns are school property (including within 500 feet of a school and on school buses), secure airport areas and aircraft, and riverboat casino properties.2Indiana State Government. Are There Places Where It Is Illegal to Carry a Handgun Even Though I Have a Valid Handgun License Federal prohibitions, like courthouses, federal buildings, post offices, and military installations, apply on top of the state list.
The Bar Owner Can Still Say No
State silence is not the same as blanket permission. Property owners in Indiana, including bar and restaurant owners, can prohibit firearms on their premises, and Indiana’s own guidance tells gun owners to watch for posted signs at businesses and venues.3Indiana State Government. Does Indiana Law Require Me to Carry My Handgun on My Person in a Concealed or Exposed Manner Plenty of bars, concert venues, and nightlife spots in Indiana post “no firearms” signs or spell out the restriction in their entry policies.
If a business asks you to leave because you’re armed and you refuse, you can be charged with trespassing. The absence of a statewide bar ban does not mean the bar in front of you welcomes guns. Check the door.
There’s also a wrinkle in the permitless carry rules. If you don’t have a license and you’re on property owned by someone else, you generally need the owner’s consent to carry, unless you’re there for a firearms-related event like a gun show, shooting club, or training course.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1 – Carrying a Handgun Without Being Licensed A bar with no posted prohibition is generally treated as giving implied consent to lawful activity; a “no firearms” sign withdraws it.
Drinking While Carrying
Indiana does not set a blood alcohol limit for carrying a firearm the way it does for driving. No state statute makes it a standalone crime to carry a handgun after drinking, and there is no BAC threshold that automatically triggers a firearm offense. People often assume the rules mirror DUI law. They don’t.
That doesn’t mean mixing the two is risk-free. If your behavior while carrying turns reckless or threatening, you can be charged with criminal recklessness, intimidation, or pointing a firearm. Indiana also makes it a crime to deliver a deadly weapon to a person you know is intoxicated, which is a concern for anyone handing a gun to a drinking friend at the bar.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-4-1 – Delivery of Deadly Weapon to Intoxicated Person The law won’t stop you from carrying into a bar and ordering a drink, but impaired judgment with a gun on your hip can produce charges fast.
Who Can’t Carry at All
Constitutional carry removed the permit, not the prohibited-person list. You cannot legally carry a handgun in Indiana, in a bar or anywhere else, if any of the following applies to you:
- You’ve been convicted of a federal or state offense punishable by more than one year of imprisonment.
- You’ve been convicted of domestic battery, a crime of domestic violence, or criminal stalking, and a court has not restored your firearm rights.
- You’re restrained by a protective order issued under Indiana law.
- You have formally filed felony charges pending against you.
- You’ve fled a state to avoid prosecution or testimony.
- A court has found you dangerous, adjudicated you a mental defective, or formally committed you to a mental institution.
- You were dishonorably discharged from military service or the National Guard.
- You’ve renounced your U.S. citizenship.
- You’re under 18, or under 23 with a juvenile adjudication for certain firearm offenses.
- You’re not lawfully present in the United States.
These categories come from Indiana’s unlawful carrying statute.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun Carrying while in any of them is a crime regardless of location.
Penalties if You Carry Unlawfully
The baseline charge for unlawful carrying is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-2 – Class A Misdemeanor
The charge becomes a Level 5 felony in two situations: when the carrying happens on school property, within 500 feet of a school, or on a school bus; or when the person has a prior unlawful-carrying conviction (including under the pre-2022 licensing statute) or any felony conviction within the past 15 years.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun A Level 5 felony carries one to six years in prison, with an advisory sentence of three years, plus a fine of up to $10,000.8Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-2-6 – Level 5 Felony The criminal-history enhancement catches people off guard most often: a prior misdemeanor for unlawful carrying turns any future violation into a felony.