Hi from Oregon,

I'm writing testimony to fight our background check expansion bill here (SB941).  I'm writing  about TN and Indiana as they are two states that were mentioned in John Lotts book "more guns less crime" as being two states that dropped background checks for private handgun purchases in 1998.  But so far, for Indiana, all I'm finding is t waiting periods were dropped.

Can anyone please fill me in on the history of background checks in Indiana around 1998?
- what was the system before 1998?  What was dropped?

Thank you.  This is important to me, so any input is appreciated.

Mike

A handgun sale from private individual to private individual (IN residents of course) used to require going to a FFL and doing the paperwork for the .gov; now buyer hands seller the $$$ and seller hands buyer the handgun and away they go. Still not supposed to sell to a prohibited person, which is why some sellers want to see a LTCH and/or do a bill of sale, but it is not required - freedom is scary to some. I have heard of sellers wanting to photocopy a drivers license or LTCH - they can FOAD at that point.

 

Do you know when that requirement ended?  I cannot find it in a "source" like a news article, or ATF changes to background check laws.

Mike

It was a good while back and happened when a Federal law changed. Wanting to say when Clinton was in office but don't hold me to that. Hopefully someone else can pin it down better for you; he was in office in'98 so that fits.

Had to have been over 39 tears ago as I've been buying and selling for that long. We use to have the "Trader" paper listing all kinds of things for sale. It was like a paper internet! There was no requirement for any background check or FFL.
OP- For a NIB from a dealer all there was you fill out the 4473, wait for 7 days for a handgun and that was that. There was no real background check. To get a LTCH you went thru your local LEO, tell them WHY you needed it, pay some $$ then it went to the ISP for there approval. Hope that helps

I remember when you had to have a letter from your employer to get a LTCH. My employer 's letter just said I didn't need it for work, and after that, it wasn't their concern. This was the late 70's.