IN: Victim of Gun Crime Waits For Governor to Sign Reform

Gun Watch ^ | 18 March, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Martin Hensley Photo/ WISH Jeff Wagner

An Indiana TV station is claiming that the arrest and conviction of a prominent radio personality, Marty Hensley, is a major reason for the gun law reform currently heading to Governor Pence's desk.  From  WISH of Indianapolis:

The bill passed the Indiana House Thursday night, and the man whose crime triggered the bill hopes the Governor signs off on it.

Marty Hensley said carrying a gun in your car wasn’t out of the ordinary back when he was a student several years ago.

 Apparently, Mr. Hensley was visiting his daughters at their school, and knowing that he was not allowed to bring his personal defensive firearm into the school because of the federal gun free school zone law, left it in his vehicle.   He wore his empty holster into the school.  From WTHR-TV:

"The law allows a person to have a gun in their vehicle if they're on school property if they're dropping off or picking up their child. If they're gonna be spending any amount of time at the school longer than that drop-off period or pick-up period, that's when it becomes a violation of the law."

Perhaps this has been a hot topic in Indianapolis, but I have read a number of articles about the law over the last few months, and this is the first that I have heard of it. 


It is not surprising that those opposed to the reform would fail to mention a victim of the law.   Hensley says that he hopes the reform will prevent future abuses.

“I really didn’t know that there was a problem with having a gun in my vehicle and I think most people didn’t know,” Hensley said.

That’s why a bill is one step away from making sure other licensed gun owners don’t slip up like he did.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

The bill on the way to the governor's desk would remove a couple of these traps for people exercising their second amendment rights.

The entire "Federal Gun Free School Zone Act" is meant to be one of these traps.

[G Larry]

I need a short summary of what’s going on here....cuz I’m not getting it.

“victims”???

small words
short sentences

[cquiggy]

“The law allows a person to have a gun in their vehicle if they’re on school property if they’re dropping off or picking up their child. If they’re gonna be spending any amount of time at the school longer than that drop-off period or pick-up period, that’s when it becomes a violation of the law.”

Therein lies a large part of the problem. School events are never on time. I have been picking up a friends little boy this week at school and they get out at different times each day. The teachers act as if they are put out if you are one minute past their idea of on time but have no qualms about running a person late while they try to regain order over the students. I have had to spend anywhere from fifteen to forty minutes waiting for them to get their stuff together. Picking up and dropping off sometimes turns into an ordeal.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

“Licensed” gun owners?

[kiryandil]

That’s why a bill is one step away from making sure other licensed gun owners don’t slip up like he did.

Marty - you live in a tyranny. That's not a bug in the law, it's a feature.

Do you think someone who works for the government or is a politician would have been arrested or prosecuted for this "violation"?

Certainly no government gunthug would have been prosecuted.

[lavaroise]

Federalization of entire areas in the name of safety... you don’t say it was not about safety...

[nd76]

I happen to be familiar with “Marty Hensley”, an erstwhile radio engineer who has had repeated run-ins with various broadcasters in the midwest over the years.

Hensley’s estranged wife took out a protective order against him which he violated. Then he showed up at his children’s school with a firearm in his possession. He plead guilty to the Class D felony, which he could request the court to reduce to a misdemeanor if he successfully completes probation.