Indiana concealed carry laws and reciprocity

Indiana State Police guidance only recommends telling an officer, in a non-threatening manner, that you are carrying; it does not identify a legal requirement to do so.

Since July 1, 2022, a person who is not a prohibited person does not need a permit to carry, conceal, or transport a handgun in Indiana, including in a vehicle.

Since July 1, 2022, Indiana does not require a permit to carry, conceal, or transport a handgun for a person 18 or older who is not a prohibited person under IC 35-47-2-1.5; the listed criteria do not include Indiana residency.

The Indiana State Police issues fee-exempt five-year and lifetime handgun licenses after background checks confirm the applicant is a "proper person" under IC 35-47-1-7.

Under IC 35-47-2-3(a)(2) and 35-47-2-4(d), a resident of another state may obtain an Indiana five-year license to carry a handgun only if the person has a regular place of business or employment in Indiana, applying to the sheriff of that county; lifetime licenses are not issued to nonresidents. Nonresidents without Indiana employment are not eligible, although licensed adults 18+ may carry without any Indiana license.

Indiana law does not require a handgun to be carried concealed or exposed, and no permit is required for eligible adults; private owners and some venues may restrict carry.

IC 35-47 (Weapons and Instruments of Violence) contains no provision making a posted no-firearms sign enforceable; the value rests on the absence of such a provision in Title 35. Criminal trespass under IC 35-43-2-2 applies to a person who enters after being denied entry or refuses to leave after being asked.

Neither IC 35-47 nor Title 7.1 (Alcohol and Tobacco) contains a provision prohibiting carrying a handgun in restaurants or bars that serve alcohol; the value rests on the absence of such a provision. Private owners may still exclude firearms, with criminal trespass under IC 35-43-2-2 applying after a person is denied entry or asked to leave.

A person may possess a handgun at DNR state park and reservoir properties, except properties with land leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (such as Mississinewa, Salamonie, Patoka, Brookville, Cagles Mill, Cecil M. Harden, and Monroe lakes) and Falls of the Ohio State Park.

No Indiana statute prohibits carrying a firearm in a church or other place of worship; the value rests on the absence of such a provision in Title 35. IC 35-47-9-1(a)(7) expressly exempts from the school-property offense a person attending a worship service or working at a house of worship located on school property, while preserving the property owner's right to prohibit firearms.

No Indiana statute prohibits carrying on college or university campuses; the school-property offense (IC 35-47-9-2) uses the 'school property' definition in IC 35-31.5-2-285, which covers K-12 and preschool facilities, not colleges. State universities prohibit firearms by policy; for example Indiana University policy PS-03 bars possession of a firearm on all IU property regardless of any carry permit, with exceptions only for law enforcement officers and written academic or research authorizations.

Indiana State Police lists, among other places, school property (IC 35-47-9), airports and aircraft (IC 35-47-6), and riverboat casinos (68 IAC 1-7-1) as places where handgun possession is prohibited even with a license.

IC 35-41-3-2(c) provides that a person is justified in using deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if the person reasonably believes that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the person or a third person or the commission of a forcible felony; subsection (d) applies the same rule to a dwelling, curtilage, or occupied motor vehicle. Justification is lost if the person is committing a crime, provokes the attack, or is the initial aggressor without withdrawing (35-41-3-2(g)).

Indiana Code Title 35, including IC 35-47-5 (Prohibited Instruments of Violence), contains no limit on magazine capacity; the value rests on the absence of such a provision. IC 35-47-11.1-2 also bars political subdivisions from regulating firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories.

Indiana Code Title 35 contains no ban on 'assault weapons' or semiautomatic rifles; IC 35-47-5 prohibits only machine guns (35-47-5-8), armor-piercing handgun ammunition (35-47-5-11.5), and certain knives. The value rests on the absence of such a provision, and IC 35-47-11.1-2 bars local regulation of firearms.

Indiana law does not prohibit firearm suppressors; Title 35 mentions a 'firearm silencer or firearm muffler' only as a sentencing enhancement for crimes committed with one (IC 35-50-2-11), and the value rests on the absence of a prohibition in IC 35-47-5. IC 35-47-8.5 requires chief law enforcement officers to issue any certification federal law requires for the transfer or manufacture of an NFA firearm (defined by reference to 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)) within 15 days unless the applicant is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Indiana Code Title 35 contains no prohibition on short-barreled rifles; the value rests on the absence of such a provision in IC 35-47-5, which bans only machine guns, armor-piercing handgun ammunition, and certain knives. IC 35-47-8.5 provides for mandatory chief-law-enforcement-officer certification of federally required NFA transfer or manufacture applications.

Indiana's former sawed-off shotgun offense, IC 35-47-5-4.1, was repealed by P.L.84-2015, so state law no longer prohibits short-barreled shotguns; the value rests on the absence of a current prohibition in IC 35-47-5. Title 35 now refers to a 'sawed-off shotgun in violation of federal law' only as a sentencing enhancement (IC 35-50-2-11), and IC 35-47-8.5 provides for certification of federally required NFA applications.