Blind Man Gets Concealed Carry Permit to Prove a Point: 'If I Can Have a Gun, Why Can't I Have a Driver's License?'

An Indiana man is calling for stricter gun control after he was able to obtain a concealed carry permit despite being blind.

Terry Sutherland says he applied for the permit to spark conversation about what he sees as a lack of common sense in the state's gun regulations.

"It just went very smoothly and normally, and nobody seemed to think anything about it," Sutherland, who relies on a cane for navigation, told WISH. "It was mind-boggling."

"I thought at the last second, somebody would go, 'Wait a minute,'" he said, shocked at the lack of resistance he faced.

Indiana's constitutional carry law allows anyone over 18 to carry a gun in public—concealed or not—without a permit. Sutherland believes there should be a minimum competency requirement, such as a gun range test, before someone is allowed to carry a firearm. "I think competency with a lethal weapon is the bare minimum we can do," Sutherland said.

Gun rights attorney Guy Relford opposes the idea, arguing that imposing government restrictions on a constitutional right is dangerous. "Society always functions better when people exercise personal responsibility and understand of their own volition that they need to be safe and responsible with that gun," Relford said.

Sutherland, who learned to use firearms before losing his sight as a teenager, says his goal is safety—not banning guns. He points to the inconsistency in laws that prevent him from getting a driver's license but allow him to carry a gun.

"If I can have a gun, why can't I have a driver's license? What's the worst that could happen? I could kill somebody," he said.

Sutherland has reached out to state lawmakers to discuss changes to the law but has yet to receive a response.