The House Committee on Public Policy voted in support of a bill sponsored by State Rep. Jim Lucas that would allow correctional facility employees to keep their firearm on company property in a locked vehicle.

Under the Seymour Republican’s proposal, employees of the Department of Corrections who are legally allowed and licensed to carry a firearm, would be permitted to keep their handguns on prison property. It would require the firearm to be stored in a locked case and kept out of sight in a secured vehicle.

“Employers should not be able to infringe upon their employees who are legally allowed to carry a handgun with a license to carry,” Lucas said. He continued, “While they are at work, a person should not be prohibited from safely storing their firearm in a locked case in their trunk or out of plain sight inside their secured vehicle.”

With this proposal, Lucas says that state employees of the Indiana General Assembly who are licensed to carry a handgun would also be allowed to have a firearm in the state capitol building. This would include elected officials and full-time employees of the Indiana House of Representatives, Senate and Legislative Services Agency.