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Indiana’s permitless gun carry could negatively impact traffic stops

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — According to a study done by The Stanford Open Policing Project, Black drivers are 20% more likely to be stopped by police than white drivers relative to their share of the residential population.

India Thusi, a professor at the Indiana University law school in Bloomington, says those statistics could worsen when the permitless gun carry law goes into effect in Indiana in July.

“Black and brown people who are lawfully carrying firearms will still be stopped and treated as being criminal and still not received the protections that this law presumes,” Thusi said.

The law professor says it’s possible, without a permit handy, people of color legally carrying a weapon could get detained longer or more often depending on how a situation is justified.

“There are situations where an officer can lawfully hold someone just because of the constitutional doctrine right now. (It) just gives officers so much discretion,” Thusi said. “For example, if an officer sees someone (and) thinks that they’re in the wrong neighborhood, follows them for a while and says (they) don’t turn, put on their turn signal. Well, not putting on that turn signal can be a justification for that person to be stalked (or) questioned.” 

Ryan Vaden, owner of Vaden’s Firearms & Ammunition in Indianapolis, says permitless carry is a good thing but will have a negative impact on the Black community if they are not educated on the law.

“You don’t have a quick way to identify that someone can legally own a firearm because you don’t have a permit,” Vaden said. “We have this right. Now, we know it’s constitutional, let’s sit here and take ownership of this right with the education that we’re seeing here … like, education is key.”

Vaden says he encourages his clients to get a permit anyways. He says it’s imperative for people of color to let an officer know there is a weapon in the car if they get pulled over. However, the law professor says, she doesn’t believe that’s always enough.

Thusi said, “There are even times where (a traffic stop is) being recorded, (sometimes) live on social media, and an officer knows that they’re under surveillance and it hasn’t prevented that instance of police violence.”