The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard SB 77 sponsored by Rep. DeVon and Rep. Bartels on recreational use of throwing stars. Authored by Sen. Liz Brown, the bill allows a person who is at least 12 years of age to possess a throwing star for recreational purposes on certain business premises if particular requirements are met. It also makes the violation of certain throwing star provisions a Class C misdemeanor.
The bill was amended to remove the prohibition of throwing stars from the code and classify throwing stars as a knife as defined in Ind. Code § 35-47-5-2.5. This classification allows for the same prohibitions, i.e., in school, where a knife is not allowed. The Indiana Public Defender Council testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 9-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/senate/77