SB 153 would create new Indiana criminal-law definitions for “privately made firearm,” “frame,” “receiver,” and “variant,” and tie those definitions to existing firearms statutes. The bill defines a privately made firearm broadly to include firearms, frames, or receivers made by someone without a valid federal firearms license, or made without a serial number applied by a licensed manufacturer at the time of production, with exceptions for certain National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record items and firearms manufactured before October 22, 1968 unless later remanufactured.
The bill also amends Indiana’s firearm-identification law to make it a crime to remove, obliterate, or alter identifying marks on a firearm, to possess a firearm with those marks altered, and to possess a privately made firearm. A knowing or intentional violation would be a Level 5 felony, and the bill is set to take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
SB 153 would expand Indiana criminal law by expressly prohibiting possession of privately made firearms, commonly associated with so-called “ghost guns,” and by reinforcing penalties for firearms with altered or removed serial numbers and other identifying marks. It would add statutory definitions that likely broaden enforcement to include unfinished frames and receivers that can be easily converted into firearms, as well as variants of handguns, rifles, shotguns, and other projectile weapons. The bill would affect gun owners, sellers, law enforcement, and prosecutors by creating a new felony offense and clarifying what firearm components fall within the prohibition.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a public-safety and firearms-tracing measure rather than a procedural or administrative change. The introduced language suggests a strong regulatory approach toward untraceable firearms and altered serial numbers. No recorded floor or committee sentiment is available here, so the overall sentiment can only be characterized as the sponsor’s apparent intent to tighten firearm identification and possession rules.
Contention
The likely points of contention are the breadth of the definition of “privately made firearm,” especially its inclusion of frames and receivers that may be “easily converted” into firearms, and the criminalization of mere possession rather than only manufacture or transfer. Gun-rights advocates could view the bill as overbroad or as reaching unfinished parts and home-built firearms, while supporters would likely argue it closes loopholes that allow untraceable weapons to circulate. Another possible issue is the felony penalty, which may be seen as severe for possession offenses involving firearm components.