Indiana Gun Laws: Permitless Carry, Red Flag, and NFA Items

Indiana gun laws let most adults 18 and older carry a handgun, openly or concealed, without a permit. That has been the rule since July 1, 2022. The permissive carry policy sits alongside strict eligibility rules, federal prohibitions that apply on top of state law, and a list of places where firearms remain off-limits no matter who you are.

Who Cannot Possess a Firearm in Indiana

Indiana uses a “proper person” standard to decide who may lawfully carry a handgun. You fail that standard if you have a conviction for any crime that could carry a sentence of more than one year, a domestic violence conviction, a record of drug or alcohol abuse, or an involuntary commitment to a mental institution, among other disqualifiers.¹ A juvenile adjudication for conduct that would be a felony for an adult also disqualifies you until age 23.

A separate statute permanently bars anyone convicted as a “serious violent felon” from possessing any firearm. The list runs to roughly two dozen offenses, including murder, kidnapping, robbery, rape, carjacking, and arson. Violating the ban is a Level 4 felony, punishable by two to twelve years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.²³

A domestic violence conviction, misdemeanor or felony, triggers its own lifetime possession ban. Expungement alone does not restore gun rights under this provision; a court has to grant a specific restoration petition first.⁴ If you are subject to an active protective order, a court can require you to surrender all firearms and ammunition for the duration of the order.

Federal Prohibitions Layer on Top

Federal law adds restrictions that apply in Indiana regardless of what state law says. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), you cannot possess a firearm if you are a fugitive from justice, an unlawful user of a controlled substance, dishonorably discharged from the military, subject to certain restraining orders, or convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.⁵

The controlled substance clause catches a lot of people off guard. Marijuana remains Schedule I under federal law, so anyone who uses it is federally prohibited from possessing a firearm. ATF Form 4473, the form you fill out at a licensed dealer, asks directly whether you are an unlawful user of marijuana and warns that state legalization does not change the federal answer. Lying on that form is a separate federal crime carrying up to ten years in prison.⁵

Buying a Firearm

From a Licensed Dealer

When you buy from a federally licensed dealer, you must complete Form 4473 and pass a background check. Federal rules set the dealer-sale minimum age at 21 for handguns and 18 for rifles and shotguns. Indiana’s own possession age for a handgun is 18, but the federal dealer rule controls at the counter.

Private Sales Between Residents

Indiana does not require a background check for a firearm sold or transferred between private individuals. You can legally sell a handgun or long gun to another Indiana resident without going through a dealer, as long as you have no reason to believe the buyer is prohibited. It is still a crime to knowingly transfer a handgun to someone under 18, or to someone you have reasonable cause to believe is a felon, a drug or alcohol abuser, or mentally incompetent. If you want a background check on a private sale for peace of mind, any licensed dealer can run one for a fee.

Straw Purchases

Buying a firearm on behalf of someone who is prohibited is a federal felony. The straw purchase penalty is up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and the maximum rises to 25 years if the firearm is used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or a drug trafficking crime.⁶

Where You Still Cannot Carry

Permitless carry has real limits. Several categories of location remain off-limits whether you have a license or not.

Schools and school buses. Possession on school property or a school bus is a Level 6 felony, carrying six months to two and a half years in prison.⁷⁸
Courthouses. Local governments can prohibit firearms in any building that contains a courtroom, though the restriction does not reach parts of the building occupied by private businesses or residential tenants.⁹
Airports and aircraft. Firearms are prohibited in secure airport areas and on commercial or chartered aircraft.
Other state-designated locations. The Indiana Government Center, casinos, the State Fairgrounds, and penal institutions are all off-limits.¹⁰

Private property owners and employers can ban firearms from their buildings and premises. Indiana’s “guns in trunks” law prevents employers from barring workers from keeping a firearm locked out of plain sight in a locked personal vehicle parked in a company lot.¹¹ That protection does not reach parking lots at schools or postsecondary institutions.¹²

Statewide preemption blocks cities and counties from writing their own rules on possession, carrying, transportation, registration, transfer, storage, or taxation of firearms, so what applies in Indianapolis applies in a rural township.¹¹

Self-Defense, Castle Doctrine, and Stand Your Ground

Indiana is a stand-your-ground state. You have no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, if you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to yourself or someone else, or to stop a forcible felony.¹³ The statute states that no person in Indiana shall face legal jeopardy “of any kind” for protecting themselves or a third person by reasonable means.

The Castle Doctrine goes further inside your home, on the attached curtilage of your property, or in your occupied vehicle. In those places you can use reasonable force, including deadly force, to prevent or stop an unlawful entry or attack without any obligation to retreat.¹³ You need a reasonable belief that the intruder is entering unlawfully, but you do not have to wait for the threat to escalate to serious bodily injury first.

Indiana also provides civil immunity for justified use of force. If you act in lawful self-defense, you are generally protected from being sued for damages by the attacker or the attacker’s family under IC 34-30-31.

When a Handgun License Still Helps

A license is no longer required to carry in Indiana, but there are two practical reasons to get one. About 31 states recognize an Indiana handgun license, so if you travel armed, the license gives you legal standing that permitless carry alone does not.¹⁴ The license also lets a federally licensed dealer skip the NICS background check at the counter, which speeds up purchases.¹⁵

How the Application Works

Online application. Start at the Indiana State Police Handgun Licensing Portal and submit your personal and address history information.¹⁶
Fingerprinting. Schedule an electronic fingerprinting appointment with a state-approved vendor. The fee is $12.95.¹⁷
Local law enforcement. Visit your local police department or sheriff’s office for a background check. Some agencies charge a local processing fee, so call ahead.
State police review. Your local agency sends its recommendation to the Indiana State Police, which issues the final decision. Approved licenses arrive by U.S. Mail.¹⁶

You have 365 days from the online application to finish fingerprinting and local processing.¹⁶ Both five-year and lifetime licenses are fee-exempt at the state level as of July 1, 2021, so the fingerprinting fee and any local charge are the only costs you should expect.¹⁷

Red Flag Seizures: The Jake Laird Law

Indiana’s red flag law, named the Jake Laird Law, lets police seize firearms from someone who presents an imminent risk of harming themselves or others. An officer can get a warrant to seize the firearms, or in emergency circumstances take them without a warrant and file an affidavit with the court afterward.¹⁸

A hearing must take place within 14 days of the seizure. The state has to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the person is dangerous. If the court agrees, the firearms stay in law enforcement custody and the person cannot buy or possess firearms. The earliest the person can petition to have the firearms returned is 180 days after the court’s order.¹⁹

Suppressors, SBRs, and Other NFA Items

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and machine guns are legal to own in Indiana but are regulated federally under the National Firearms Act. You register these items with the ATF using Form 4 (for a dealer transfer) or Form 1 (for an item you make yourself), submitted through the ATF eForms system.²⁰

As of January 1, 2026, the federal tax on NFA items dropped from $200 to $0 following the passage of H.R. 1 in mid-2025. The registration and approval process still applies; only the tax was eliminated. If you plan to cross state lines with a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, machine gun, or destructive device, you must submit ATF Form 5320.20 and get approval before the trip. Suppressors do not require that interstate travel notification.

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-1-7 – Proper Person
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-4-5 – Unlawful Possession of Firearm by Serious Violent Felon
3
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-2-5.5 – Level 4 Felony
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-4-7 – Possession of Firearm by Domestic Batterer
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
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GovInfo. 18 USC 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms
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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 35-47-11.1-4 – Exceptions
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IN.gov. Gun Owners Bill of Rights
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-11.1-2 – Political Subdivision Regulation
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-7-2 – Regulation of Employees Firearms and Ammunition by Employers
13
Justia. Indiana Code 35-41-3-2 – Use of Force to Protect Person or Property
14
IN.gov. Which States Honor My Indiana Handgun License
15
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
16
Indiana State Police. Apply for a New License to Carry
17
Indiana State Police. Fees
18
Indiana State Police. Indiana Jake Laird Law (Red Flag Law)
19
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-14 – Proceedings for the Seizure and Retention of a Firearm
20
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. eForms Applications