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Indiana cities facing changes in state gun laws

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The state’s new prohibition on most local gun restrictions has some cities and counties rolling back their ordinances while police must juggle situations such as the commotion caused by a man carrying a holstered handgun on his hip at Evansville’s zoo.

Staffers at Mesker Park Zoo called police earlier this month after several visitors complained about the man. The officers reported that the man refused a request to conceal the gun and “started causing a scene” before being escorted out because he was frightening other people.

Police Department spokeswoman Karen Kajmowicz said zoo officials were correct to notify police, even though the man’s actions were not against the law. She said if the situation had escalated further, the officers could have arrested the man for disorderly conduct because of his actions toward police and other zoo patrons.

“He felt like (it was) his right to carry it like that,” Kajmowicz told the Evansville Courier & Press. “It is not illegal to carry it that way and I don’t want it to come across that it is, but when you are making that many people uncomfortable I don’t know what purpose you are serving.”

Legislators this spring approved a change in state law to only allow local governments to ban guns from buildings that house courtrooms. Local ordinances banning firearms from other locations, such as libraries and parks, are no longer allowed.

Supporters said the change was meant to provide equal regulation across the state for those with permits to carry guns, and that it didn’t change state laws that already ban guns from schools and universities.

Municipalities that fail to update their ordinances run the risk of legal action, said Matt Greller, executive director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.

The Bloomington City Council is working to change that city’s ordinances to comply with the law.

Bloomington Police Chief Mike Diekhoff said officers providing security at City Council meetings can ask anyone with a weapon to show their permit, but can’t ask anyone with a permit to surrender their gun.

“Most people who go to council meetings aren’t carrying firearms, and I don’t expect that to change,” Diekhoff told The Herald-Times. “The officers understand the law and will enforce it as necessary.”

Bryan Lee Ciyou, an Indianapolis attorney and the author of the “Indiana Firearms Law Reference Manual,” said licensed gun owners should use prudence when deciding whether to conceal their weapons.

He said he believed the Evansville officers were correct in how they handled the zoo visitor.

“I think the person is within their rights to say, `I’m not going to do it,’ but why you would want to pick that fight if you’re a gun owner or other person that lawfully has it is one that I wouldn’t pick,” he said. “There is a lot of ambiguity between right and wrong and the law and common sense, and that’s a common sense question.”