(Indianapolis, Ind.) – A controversial law written and championed by a southeast Indiana lawmaker will go into effect July 1.

Rep. Bob Bischoff (D-Greendale)

State Rep. Bob Bischoff, D-Lawrenceburg, authored Public Law 90 which allows Hoosier gun owners to take their legally-permitted firearms to work, as long as the gun remains safely stored inside the employee’s vehicle.

"Public Law 90 will address two areas of concern expressed by gun owners throughout this country," Bischoff said. "It will help to ensure the safety of Hoosiers who are at work, and protect them during times of natural disaster or civil unrest. With passage of this law, Indiana is joining a growing number of states that recognize the importance of our personal constitutional rights."

The law does include exceptions such as school property, some child care centers and domestic violence shelters, prisons and other correctional facilities, and private residences. Properties owned by public utility companies are also exempt.

Bischoff’s law has been met with resistance from many businesses, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Just a day after the bill was passed by the Indiana General Assembly, a Portage, Ind. man employed by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development shot at co-workers using a shotgun he had brought to work in his pickup truck.  The employee had just received a poor performance review.

Still, Bischoff maintains that the bill preserves constitutional rights, particularly during civil unrest.

"The second major provision contained in this law prevents any unit of government at the state and local level in Indiana from confiscating legally-owned weapons from ordinary citizens during times of declared emergency, which would include natural disasters like tornadoes or times of civil unrest," Bischoff said. "This will ensure that Indiana never sees something like what happened in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina."

Indiana is the 12th state to enact a law similar to Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah.