A blind man wanted to call out lax state firearm laws in Indiana. He did so by going to get his concealed carry permit. Terry Sutherland, a blind man in Indiana, went to the City County Building to get his concealed carry permit. He said several officials knew he was blind. He even carried a white cane for good measure.
But no one stopped him from getting the firearm permit.
"It just went very smoothly and normally, and nobody seemed to think anything about it. It was mind-boggling. It shocked me more than I expected. I thought at the last second, somebody would go, 'Wait a minute,'" he told Live 5 News. So now, Sutherland is able to carry a handgun without even being able to see. In Indiana, anyone over the age of 18 can carry a gun in public without a license.
Firearm Laws
There's no competency test — something common in other states — in Indiana.
"I think competency with a lethal weapon is the bare minimum we can do," Sutherland said. However, the blind man's attempt to raise questions about the state's firearm laws has raised opposition. Guy Relford, a constitutional rights attorney, opposes placing government restrictions on the Second Amendment. He believes that this is dangerous.
"We start putting government-imposed restrictions on a constitutional right, I always think that's dangerous and inappropriate. That's not to say people shouldn't be trained, but society always functions better when people exercise personal responsibility and understand of their own volition that they need to be safe and responsible with that gun," Relford said.
However, Sutherland isn't against firearms or guns. In fact, he used to use guns with his family growing up before he lost his eyesight as a teen. However, he doesn't understand how Indiana can let a blind man own a firearm. Sutherland points out that he could easily kill somebody.
"If I can have a gun, why can't I have a driver's license? What's the worst that could happen? I could kill somebody," Sutherland said.
Who knows if Sutherland's bold move will actually cause changes in the state. But he certainly got people talking.
