Eliminating Indiana handgun permit fee could cost $11M

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana legislative report estimates state and local governments would lose nearly $11 million a year in revenue under the proposed elimination of fees for lifetime handgun permits.

The House Ways and Means Committee endorsed the change Monday, sending it to the Republican-dominated House for consideration.

Those seeking lifetime permits to carry a handgun in public now pay fees of up to $125 are mostly split between state and local police agencies.

Some Republicans have sought a full repeal of Indiana's handgun permit law, saying it infringes on gun owners' Second Amendment rights. Legislators compromised by proposing to eliminate the permit fee starting in July 2019.

House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown says he expects that the new two-year state budget adopted in 2019 will address the fee-revenue loss.