Indiana Gun Carry Laws: Permitless, Restrictions, and Red Flag

Indiana gun carry laws let most adults carry a handgun in public without any license. Since July 1, 2022, anyone at least 18 years old who meets the state’s eligibility rules can carry a handgun openly or concealed, with no permit required.¹ That freedom still comes with real limits: a long list of disqualifying conditions, prohibited locations, and rules that trip people up during police encounters and travel.

Who Can Carry a Handgun

To carry lawfully without a license, you must be at least 18 and qualify as a “proper person” under Indiana law.¹ The proper-person standard is a checklist of disqualifiers. If any one applies to you, carrying a handgun is a crime whether you have a license or not.

Under Indiana Code 35-47-1-7, you are not a proper person if you have a conviction for a crime punishable by more than one year in prison (all felony-level offenses), a domestic violence conviction without restored firearm rights, a conviction for resisting law enforcement within the past five years, a record of alcohol or drug abuse as defined by statute, an involuntary commitment to a mental institution beyond a temporary observation hold, a court finding of mental incompetence (including not guilty by reason of insanity or guilty but mentally ill verdicts), a current designation as dangerous under a court order, or documented evidence suggesting a propensity for violent or emotionally unstable behavior.² Other disqualifiers include firearms-related convictions in the past five years and, for applicants under 23, juvenile adjudications for acts that would be felonies if committed by an adult.

Federal law adds its own prohibited categories. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), you cannot possess any firearm or ammunition if you have been dishonorably discharged from the military, are a fugitive from justice, are an unlawful user of controlled substances, are an undocumented noncitizen, have renounced your U.S. citizenship, or are subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders.³ These federal bars apply even if nothing in Indiana’s definition would disqualify you.

Penalties for Carrying While Disqualified

Carrying a handgun when you don’t meet these standards is a Class A misdemeanor by default, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.⁴ The charge becomes a Level 5 felony if the offense happens on or within 500 feet of school property, on a school bus, if you have a prior unlawful-carry conviction, or if you have any felony conviction within the past 15 years.⁵ A Level 5 felony carries one to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.⁶

Open Carry, Concealed Carry, and Vehicles

Indiana does not distinguish between open and concealed carry. A proper person who is at least 18 may carry either way without a license.¹ The same applies in a vehicle. You can store a handgun in the glove compartment, trunk, center console, or anywhere else in your car, with no required case and no requirement to separate the firearm from ammunition, as long as you are legally eligible to possess it. Long guns follow similar rules: shotguns and rifles can be carried or transported without a license by any proper person 18 or older.

Where You Can’t Carry

Permitless carry does not mean carry everywhere. State law, federal law, and private property rights all create zones where firearms are off-limits.

Schools, Airports, and Government Buildings

Possessing a firearm on school property or on a school bus is a Level 6 felony, punishable by six months to two and a half years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.⁷⁸

Airports have two tiers of restriction. Entering an airport’s controlled-access screening area with a firearm is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail.⁹ Boarding a commercial or charter aircraft while armed is a Level 5 felony.¹⁰ Many government buildings, courthouses, and state-operated facilities restrict firearms through administrative rules or court orders, and the Indiana State Fairgrounds enforces its own no-weapons policy.

Federal Property

Federal facilities follow federal rules regardless of Indiana law. Post offices, federal courthouses, VA hospitals, and military installations all prohibit firearms. Carrying one on U.S. Postal Service property is punishable by up to one year in prison under 18 U.S.C. § 930, rising to five years if the firearm was intended for use in a crime.¹¹

Private Property and Businesses

Property owners can bar firearms on their premises by posting signs or by telling you so verbally. Indiana does not impose a specific criminal penalty for carrying on private property against the owner’s wishes, but if the owner asks you to leave and you refuse, you can be charged with criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.¹² The practical result is the same: leave when asked, or you are breaking the law. Restaurants and bars that serve alcohol are not automatically off-limits under state law, though individual establishments can still ban firearms on their own.

Employee Parking Lots

Indiana protects your right to keep a firearm in your vehicle at work. Under Indiana Code 34-28-7, employers cannot adopt or enforce any policy that prevents an employee from storing a firearm or ammunition in a locked vehicle, whether in the trunk, glove compartment, or otherwise out of plain sight.¹³ Exceptions apply at schools and child care facilities, correctional facilities, postsecondary institutions, domestic violence shelters, chemical and nuclear sites regulated by the Department of Homeland Security or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and public utility properties generating or transmitting electric power. If your employer violates the law, you can sue for actual damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.

Local Ordinances

Indiana bars cities and counties from passing firearms rules stricter than state law. Any local ordinance that effectively restricts the lawful sale, purchase, transfer, manufacture, or display of firearms, ammunition, or accessories is void under Indiana Code 35-47-11.1.¹⁴ If someone tells you a particular Indiana city bans open or concealed carry, that local ban is almost certainly unenforceable.

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine

Indiana is a stand-your-ground state. Under Indiana Code 35-41-3-2, you can use reasonable force to protect yourself or a third person from what you reasonably believe is the imminent use of unlawful force, and you have no duty to retreat before using deadly force if you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury or a forcible felony.¹⁵

The castle doctrine goes further. You can use reasonable force, including deadly force, with no duty to retreat to stop someone from unlawfully entering or attacking your home, the surrounding curtilage, or your occupied vehicle.¹⁵ These protections disappear if you were committing a crime at the time, provoked the confrontation intending to cause injury, or were the initial aggressor without clearly withdrawing. Civil immunity is also provided for justified self-defense, with additional protection codified under Indiana Code 34-30-31.

If You’re Stopped by Police

Indiana does not require you to tell a police officer you are carrying a firearm. The Attorney General’s office has stated plainly that informing an officer you are armed “is not a legal requirement in Indiana.”¹ The AG’s guidance still recommends doing so calmly and non-threateningly, and from a practical standpoint volunteering the information usually keeps the encounter calmer.

What state law does require is identification during certain stops. Under Indiana Code 34-28-5-3.5, if an officer stops you for an infraction or ordinance violation, you must provide your name, address, and date of birth, or hand over your driver’s license. Refusing is a Class C misdemeanor.¹⁶ This duty is triggered by an infraction or ordinance stop, not every casual encounter with an officer. Giving false information can bring separate charges.

Rules change the moment you cross a state line. States such as Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio require armed individuals to disclose that they are carrying at first contact with law enforcement. Failing to do so can mean fines, permit suspension, or criminal charges. Check each destination’s duty-to-inform rules before you travel.

Why Get the Voluntary License

Indiana still issues a License to Carry a Handgun (LTCH), and two things make it worth considering even though no license is needed to carry at home.

The first is reciprocity. About 31 states honor Indiana’s handgun license, letting you legally carry there under their agreements.¹⁷ Without the license, you depend on each state’s own permitless carry rules, and many do not extend permitless carry to nonresidents.

The second is purchasing. The LTCH qualifies as an alternative to the federal NICS background check when buying a handgun from a licensed dealer. The ATF lists the Indiana license on its Brady Permit Chart, so the dealer can use your license as proof of eligibility instead of running a separate check at the point of sale.¹⁸

No training or proficiency test is required. The state eliminated all fees for the five-year and lifetime LTCH, so the license itself is free, though you will still pay a small fingerprinting fee.¹⁹

How to Apply

The application has three steps, all coordinated through the Indiana State Police.²⁰ Complete the online application through the ISP Firearms License Application Portal, which generates an application number you will use for the remaining steps. Schedule fingerprinting with IDEMIA, the state’s vendor; the fee is roughly $13 paid directly to IDEMIA. Then take your proof of fingerprinting to your local police department or sheriff’s office, which runs a local background check and forwards everything to ISP for final review. Clean applications are typically processed within 60 days, after which the license is mailed to the address on file.

Losing the Right: Indiana’s Red Flag Law

Even someone who qualifies as a proper person today can lose the right to possess firearms through Indiana’s red flag law, formally known as the Jake Laird Law under Indiana Code 35-47-14. If law enforcement believes you present an imminent risk of injury to yourself or others, officers can seize your firearms with a warrant, or immediately if urgent circumstances exist.²¹

After a seizure, a court holds a hearing, typically within 14 days. The prosecution must prove by clear and convincing evidence that you are dangerous. If the court agrees, your firearms are held for at least 180 days, any carry license is suspended, and you cannot buy or receive firearms during that period. The order can also be forwarded to the FBI’s background check system, blocking future purchases from licensed dealers.²²

After 180 days, you can petition to get your firearms back. If you file within one year of being found dangerous, you carry the burden of proving you are no longer a risk. After one year, the burden shifts to the state to prove you still are.²²

1
Indiana State Police. Gun Owners Bill of Rights
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-1-7 – Proper Person
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-2 – Class A Misdemeanor
5
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun
6
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-2-6 – Level 5 Felony
7
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-9-2 – Possession of Firearms on School Property or a School Bus
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-2-7 – Level 6 Felony
9
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-6-1.3 – Possession in Controlled Access Areas of an Airport
10
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-6-1 – Firearms Explosives or Other Deadly Weapons on Aircraft
11
United States Postal Service. Possession of Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons on Postal Service Property
12
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-43-2-2 – Criminal Trespass
13
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-7-2 – Regulation of Employees Firearms and Ammunition
14
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-11.1-4 – Preemption of Local Firearms Ordinances
15
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-41-3-2 – Use of Force to Protect Person or Third Person
16
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-5-3.5 – Refusal to Identify Self
17
IN.gov. Which States Honor My Indiana Handgun License
18
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
19
Indiana State Police. Indiana State Police – Firearms Licensing
20
Indiana State Police. Apply for a New License to Carry
21
Indiana State Police. Indiana Jake Laird Law (Red Flag Law)
22
Indiana Court Times. Indianas Red Flag Law