Indiana Gun Laws: Carrying Firearms in a Vehicle and Traffic Stops

Indiana gun laws on carrying firearms in a vehicle changed on July 1, 2022. Since that date, any adult who is not a “prohibited person” under Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 may carry, conceal, or transport a handgun in a vehicle anywhere in the state without a license.¹ The permit is gone, but the rules around who can carry, where you can carry, and how the gun must be stored have not gone anywhere.

Who Cannot Carry Under Indiana Law

Permitless carry works only if you would have qualified for a handgun license in the first place. IC 35-47-2-1.5 lists the people who remain barred from carrying:

Anyone convicted of a federal or state offense punishable by more than one year of imprisonment
Anyone convicted within the past five years of a crime involving physical force or a threatened deadly weapon against a family or household member
Anyone convicted under Indiana’s stalking statute
Fugitives fleeing prosecution or avoiding testimony in a criminal proceeding
Anyone subject to an active domestic or family violence protective order (workplace violence orders don’t count)
Anyone under a pending felony indictment
Minors under 18, except when traveling to or from hunting, a shooting competition, or a firearms safety course
People under 23 with a juvenile adjudication that would qualify as a serious violent felon offense
Anyone dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military or National Guard
Anyone found dangerous under Indiana’s red flag statute (IC 35-47-14) without firearm rights restored
Anyone adjudicated mentally defective or involuntarily committed to a mental institution by a court
Anyone unlawfully in the United States or who has renounced U.S. citizenship

Federal law adds its own overlapping restrictions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), including anyone subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order and anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.² A person who is legal under Indiana law can still be illegal under federal law.

How to Transport a Handgun if You Don’t Qualify for Permitless Carry

If you fall short of the eligibility standards under IC 35-47-2-3 but you are not a fully prohibited person, you can still transport a handgun in a vehicle under three strict conditions. The handgun must be unloaded, not readily accessible, and secured in a case.³

All three conditions apply whether you’re driving your own car or riding as a lawful passenger in someone else’s. A case means a hard or soft container designed to hold a firearm. A glovebox or center console does not count. “Not readily accessible” means the handgun cannot be reached from the driver or passenger seat during normal driving.

Rifles and Shotguns in a Vehicle

Indiana does not require a license to possess or transport a rifle or shotgun, and no state statute requires long guns to be unloaded during transport in a standard passenger vehicle. Off-road vehicles and snowmobiles are the exception. On those, any firearm must be unloaded and either cased or made inoperable with a key-locked trigger mechanism.

Even where the law permits a loaded long gun in a car, keeping rifles and shotguns unloaded and cased is a practical habit that avoids questions during a traffic stop.

Where You Still Cannot Carry

Permitless carry does not open every door. Several categories of property remain off-limits, and the rules for vehicles parked on that property vary.

School Property

Firearms are generally prohibited on school grounds and school buses. The statute allows a narrow vehicle exception: a person who may legally possess a firearm can keep it in a motor vehicle on school property if the firearm is locked in the trunk, stored in the glovebox of a locked vehicle, or kept out of plain sight in a locked vehicle.⁴

Current high school students cannot use that vehicle exception unless they are on a school shooting sports team, the principal has approved the arrangement, and the firearm is concealed only on practice or competition days. Former students expelled or removed for disciplinary reasons within the past 24 months are also excluded, and the exemption never applies to school-owned vehicles unless the school authorizes it.⁴

Federal Gun-Free School Zones

The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of any school. Public roads that pass near a school are covered. Exceptions exist for firearms that are unloaded and in a locked container, and for people licensed by the state where the school zone sits.²

Because Indiana’s permitless carry system does not issue a license in the sense the federal statute uses, some legal commentators have questioned whether unlicensed carriers in permitless-carry states fall within the federal exception. Applying for the free Indiana handgun license, still available from Indiana State Police, removes that ambiguity.

Other Restricted Locations

Firearms are also prohibited at secure areas of airports, casinos, penal facilities, and the Indiana Government Center. At the Indiana State Fairgrounds, anyone with a firearm must secure it in a locked compartment of their vehicle and keep it out of sight. No one may carry a firearm on their person at the fairgrounds, with a narrow exception for weapons intended for sale or trade at an event held there.⁵ Federal buildings such as post offices, courthouses, and military installations follow federal rules and prohibit firearms regardless of state law.

Firearms in Your Vehicle at Work

Indiana protects employees who store firearms in their personal vehicles on an employer’s parking lot. Under IC 34-28-7-2, an employer cannot enforce a policy banning an employee from keeping a firearm or ammunition that is locked in the vehicle’s trunk, stored in the glovebox of a locked vehicle, or kept out of plain sight in a locked vehicle.⁶

Several workplaces are exempt, meaning the employer can prohibit firearms in employee vehicles:

Child care centers and child caring institutions
Domestic violence shelters
College and university campuses
Facilities regulated under federal chemical anti-terrorism standards or licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Public utilities that generate and transmit electric power
An employer’s private residence

Prisons and jails sit in a middle ground. The employer cannot ban the firearm outright, but must require employees to secure it in a locked case stored in the trunk, glovebox, or out of plain sight in a locked vehicle.⁶

Crossing State Lines With a Handgun

The Firearm Owners Protection Act, at 18 U.S.C. § 926A, protects people traveling across state lines with a firearm as long as the firearm is unloaded and neither the firearm nor ammunition is readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glovebox or console.⁷

FOPA only covers continuous travel between two places where you may lawfully possess the firearm. It does not override state law at your destination or during extended stops. Driving from Indiana through Illinois to Iowa is a good example. Illinois does not recognize Indiana handgun licenses, and a lengthy stop there could remove FOPA’s protection. Roughly 30 states recognize the optional Indiana license through reciprocity, which is another practical reason to obtain it even though the state no longer requires it.¹

Penalties for Unlawful Carrying

A prohibited person who carries a handgun in violation of IC 35-47-2-1.5 commits unlawful carrying of a handgun, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 365 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.⁸

Certain aggravating circumstances elevate that offense to a Level 5 felony, which carries a fixed prison term of one to six years, an advisory sentence of three years, and a potential fine of up to $10,000.⁹

The most serious state charge falls on serious violent felons. Under IC 35-47-4-5, a serious violent felon who knowingly possesses a firearm commits a Level 4 felony. Federal violations under 18 U.S.C. § 922 carry their own penalties independent of any state charges.

Traffic Stops

Indiana does not require you to volunteer that you have a firearm during a traffic stop. You are not obligated to disclose it, even if asked, though you cannot lie if the question comes up. Many gun owners choose to inform the officer as a courtesy, which is generally the smoother approach.

If a firearm is disclosed or discovered during the stop, keep your hands visible and follow the officer’s instructions. Do not reach for the firearm. Keeping any license or documentation somewhere other than the glovebox where the gun sits, such as a wallet or phone case, means you can produce it without reaching near the firearm.

1
indy.gov. Permitless Carry
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
3
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1 – Carrying a Handgun Without Being Licensed; Construction of Chapter
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-9-1 – Exemptions From Chapter
5
Indiana General Assembly. Title 80 State Fair Commission, Article 11 – General Operations
6
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-7-2 – Regulation of Employees Firearms and Ammunition by Employers
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
8
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun
9
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-2-6 – Level 5 Felony