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Resident urges Gary council to consider local rules on open carry and business signage
Summary
A resident, Natalie Ammons, asked the council to explore an ordinance allowing property owners to require 'no guns' signage and to enforce compliance — including criminal trespass for violations — so customers can feel safe despite Indiana's permitless open-carry law.
Natalie Ammons addressed the council during public comment and asked elected officials to consider a local ordinance that would help people feel comfortable in public places after Indiana adopted permitless open carry in July 2022.
"A visible presence of firearms can make others feel uncomfortable and unsafe," Ammons said. She proposed encouraging — and in her view, making mandatory — property-owner signage that notifies visitors firearms are not permitted on the premises and said failure to comply could be treated as criminal trespass. Ammons emphasized the proposal was not intended to revoke any state right to open carry, but to allow businesses and property owners to establish their own firearm policies.
Ammons told the council that visible firearms in public locations cause some residents to stop frequenting businesses, and she urged city leaders to explore options that let property owners set and enforce weapon policies without infringing state law.
