GunFax by William E. Miller Indiana Gun Shows for May This information is subject to change by the individual show promoters: May 4-5 BOONVILLE - Warrick County 4-H Center, 133 E Degonia Rd. Southern Indiana Gun Collectors, 812-897-3742. May 4-5 INDIANAPOLIS - Stout Field National Guard Armory, 3912 W. Minnesota St. Midwest Gun Collectors, LLC, 765-572-2300. May 18-19 FORT WAYNE - Wayne Memorial Coliseum, IN 930 & Parnell Ave. CPI Shows, Inc., 219-483-6144. May 18-19 LINTON - National Guard Armory, State Road 54. ProTEQ Firearms Training Academy & Gun Shows, 812-443-5435. May 18-19 NOBLESVILLE - Hamilton Co. 4-H Center, 2003 E. Pleasant St. Midwest Gun Collectors, LLC, 765-572-2300. May 31-Jun. 2 INDIANAPOLIS - Indy 1500 Gun & Knife Show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Marsh South Pavillion. World Class Gun Shows, 405-340-1333, or 317-870-9296 during the week of the show. For interactive maps, driving directions, links to gun show sites, and more of the latest gun show information, see my Big List of ALL Indiana Gun Shows at www.gunfax.com/showlist.htm. Quotes to Note A great source for good gun quotes, bogus gun quotes, cited sources, and lots of other educational information regarding the right to keep and bear arms can be found at www.guncite.com. Here are two good quotes from Thomas Jefferson: "One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them." "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." Questions & Answers Q. "I am 19 years old and an avid rifleman. I am now wanting a handgun. I was wondering what age you must be to buy a handgun and if it is 21 is there any way I can obtain one being 19?" - from Josh via e-mail A. I'm not an attorney, and I would always suggest that you contact a qualified attorney for legal advice, so what follows should simply be considered my personal opinion. You may not purchase a handgun from a gun dealer until you’re 21, but with a permit you can legally carry a handgun in Indiana at age 18. You must have your permit with you when you carry. Generally, the legal definition of carrying a handgun is to have it in your possession while away from your home or business either on your person or in a vehicle. To quote from the face of the license, you may carry "any handgun lawfully possessed", so you may carry a handgun that was legally borrowed or purchased from an individual. Under Indiana law, a handgun is defined as any firearm designed or adapted so as to be aimed and fired from one hand, regardless of barrel length; or any firearm with a barrel less than sixteen inches in length or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches. It's a good idea to get a handgun permit even if you don’t plan to carry a handgun right away. If you should ever need it, you'll have it, and Indiana permit holders don’t have to undergo the delay and expense of criminal background checks every time they purchase a handgun, rifle, or shotgun from a dealer. To apply for a permit, contact the most local office of law enforcement in your jurisdiction. If you live in a city or town, contact the police department. If you live outside a city, contact your County Sheriff's office. Under Indiana law, the application must be either approved or rejected within 60 days, and it must be granted unless you are a prohibited person as defined by law. While there are many circumstances under both Indiana and Federal law that prohibit you from being able to legally possess guns or ammunition, there are also exceptions and fine points of the law that you should examine if you think they might apply to you. There are also State laws which are designed for hunters, but which still apply to you under certain circumstances, even if you're not a hunter or engaged in hunting. You are considered a prohibited person under the law if you were dishonorably discharged from the military, if you are under criminal indictment, if you are a fugitive from justice, or if you are the subject of most types of restraining orders. You are also barred from gun possession if you have been convicted of a felony or convicted of almost any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, as well as any crime that the relevant State's law defines as a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. These prohibitions apply even if your actual punishment was only a fine or probation. You are also barred from all gun and ammo possession while you are an unlawful user of controlled substances or an abuser of alcohol, while you are under an official declaration or adjudication of mental incompetence, or if you have been committed to a mental institution. If at any time while you hold a valid permit you should fall under any of the definitions of a prohibited person, your permit will be suspended or revoked. To give you comprehensive information on all the fine points of relevant Federal law and Indiana State law would require more space than this column would allow, so I would suggest that everyone should be familiar with the law. Federal law can be found online by selecting U.S. Code at www.legal.gsa.gov, and Indiana State law can be found online at www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code. Indiana residents can call the Indiana State Police at 317-233-5054 and ask them for a free booklet of Indiana gun laws. For folks in other States, simply look up www.state.xx.us online, where the xx is replaced by your State's official 2-letter abbreviation. Then you can look for links to your State's legislature or assembly, or to your State's codes, laws, or statutes. Also, the Web site www.packing.org has good links and information on the gun laws in all 50 States. Some may consider this part of my column to have been a bit long- winded, but if you do not yet fall under one of these prohibited categories, some day you may. If you want to be able to possess firearms and ammunition later in life, you should be aware of how seemingly minor infractions of the law can bar you for life. So keep your powder dry, and keep your nose clean, too! You Might Be a Gun Nut If... ...you ever seriously thought about dabbing a little Hoppe's #9 bore cleaner on your neck before going out on a date. ...you see TV footage of the war in Afghanistan and wish you were there to pick up the empty shell casings. ...your mailbox has a Weaver scope rail on top. ...you can't figure out why your non-shooting friends laugh when you say "Bushmaster". - author unknown, from the Web Misfire from Last Month I should have listed the correct Web address for DKT Company, Ltd. in Elkhart, Indiana as www.dktcoltd.com.