Shotgun proposal makes no sense

Sometimes you have to wonder about our state lawmakers.
Have they any sense of history? Do they think about proposals before they draft them into potential legislation? Have they bothered to talk to the people who might be affected by the bills they pass?
If ever there were a bill to prompt those questions, it’s Senate Bill 433, sponsored by our own state senator, Travis Holdman, the Republican from Markle.
The bill addresses what Sen. Holdman must feel is a pressing concern for Hoosiers.
It makes it easier to possess, manufacture, sell or import a sawed-off shotgun.
These days, sawed-off shotguns may be as rare as do-do birds. But back in the 1920s and 1930s, they claimed the lives of numerous law enforcement officers and bank guards. That’s because it’s easy to conceal a sawed-off shotgun under a long coat, then pull it out when the shooting starts.
Think of it as a concealed carry permit on steroids. And think of the lives endangered as those of police officers.
Ask yourself: Why does someone need a sawed-off shotgun?
Target practice? That won’t work. Game hunting? Nonsense. Inflicting a killer blast at close range? You’ve got it.
There are on the books a number of federal laws that cover sawed-off shotguns. Like the “tommy gun” of the same era, sawed-off shotguns have been judged to be beyond the pale.
Until now.
Until Senate Bill 433, a bill that would put each and every Indiana law enforcement officer, convenience store clerk and hold-up target at risk of his or her life.
Yes, the bill would add a 10-year prison term enhancement to anyone using a sawed-off shotgun during a crime.
But it still eliminates penalties for owning one, selling one, making one or importing one. And an extra 10 years in prison isn’t going to be much solace to the family of someone shot by a sawed-off in a hold-up.
Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and wonder what these people are thinking. —J.R.