My statement on tonight’s @IndyCouncil passage of Proposals 149 and 156: pic.twitter.com/HzMuyGp5U3
— Mayor Joe Hogsett (@IndyMayorJoe) July 11, 2023
The Indianapolis City-County Council passed Mayor Joe Hogsett’s gun control plan on Monday night. The decision is in response to concerns over violent crime in the city.
Unveiled in May, Hogsett’s plan splits into two parts. The first proposes stricter gun restrictions, subject to state law changes.
These include:
- Raising the handgun purchasing age to 21
- Mandating handgun licenses
- Banning concealed carry w/o license
- Banning so-called “assault weapons”
A 2011 state preemption law currently blocks cities from regulating guns. Despite this, the council voted along party lines, 18-5, in favor of Hogsett’s gun control proposals.
The second part, unanimously approved, targets serious offenders.
Indianapolis will hire three federal prosecutors. They’ll report to the Southern District of Indiana’s U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Violent Crimes Unit. The unit focuses on serious violent and gun crimes.
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The city’s corporation counsel’s office will fund the new prosecutors. This year’s budget allocates $225,000 for their salaries, with future costs covered by the office.
Mayor Hogsett praised the council’s decision.
“Tonight’s Council votes on Proposals 149 and 156 prove that Indianapolis and its leadership won’t back down from taking bold steps to protect residents and neighborhoods,” said the mayor on Monday night.
“I applaud the Council’s bipartisan support for funding our partnership with U.S. Attorney Zach Myers, holding the worst of the worst offenders to account,” he continued.
“I also wish to thank those who approved our common-sense gun safety measures, increasing the purchasing age to 21, requiring handgun licenses, and removing the concealed carry of firearms. Tonight we are sending a clear message of where we stand about the causes of gun violence and the proliferation of illegal weapons on our streets,” he concluded.
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Every Republican councilor, totaling five, opposed the gun control measures.
During the council meeting, Minority Leader Brian Mowery articulated his disapproval.
“I’m voting against this because I disagree with the toothless language and the policy itself, but also because it likely violates state statute and the state constitution,” he said, according to the IndyStar.
He further expressed concerns about the proposal likely contravening state statute and the constitution. Mowery cited the opinion of the Indiana Office of the Attorney General, stating that the proposal breaches the state preemption law.
There’s no doubt it does violate the state’s preemption law. As such, one can argue it isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. That said, the second proposal — the hiring of prosecutors — may help to put and keep bad guys behind bars.
We’ll see. As always, stay tuned for updates.
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Speaking as a Hoosier, there’s always a situation that calls for a truly stupid and futile gesture…and the Democrats on the Indianapolis City Council are just the guys to do it!
Indy used to be nice little city, that is long gone. With all the over building of that area has brought the undesirable element to the area, now it’s just another city ruined by democrats.
Wow – never heard of that Constitution thing, uh?
I’ll bet SCOTUS spends all of five minutes shooting that one down… BTW, $225,000 is really, REALLY good pay to sit around and play dictator…
That’s 225,00 for THREE federal prosecutors – so $75k per year, per prosecutor. Hardly a lot of money for an attorney.
Does NH have its own MC? What do they do, pick up used condoms on the beach?
Is that all they have to do for the entire year, then go home?
Remove and publicly execute all of them.
Hogsett?? Wasn’t there a junior hogg in the snews years ago?
Mayor, rather than ban inanimate objects, you’ll find that a ban on alcohol had disastrous results. When citizens threaten to cast their votes elsewhere and spend their election support dollars elsewhere, promise to do something logical such as banning dangerous conduct. Oh, right, those laws are in place.
I always am amazed when I hear about liberals passing these gun laws claiming that these laws will lower gun crimes and people actually believe it. Criminals don’t care about your gun laws, anyone that is willing to kill someone doesn’t draw the line at breaking your gun laws. They aren’t going to be thinking” Crap I can’t kill that person now because it’s against the law to have this gun.”
Make no mistake these liberals know these laws will do nothing in terms of protection. This is nothing more than a step in the agenda to remove firearms. The liberals agenda is for America to become an authoritarian state. That agenda can never happen as long as long as America has armed citizens. Remember the 2nd Amendment protects the rest of your rights and freedom.
Typical DemocRAT run city. Crime ridden sh!thole as usual. All Dems touch and control eventually turns to sh!t. If you see a wake of sh!t then follow it and it will lead you to a DemocRAT.
If the liberals can defy the law, so can the conservatives. Defiance of existing laws goes both ways !
Leftists defy the laws to commit other crimes. I defy the laws because they’re bogus and I won’t be the unarmed, defenseless prole they want me to be.
Every one of the council members that voted to approve this should be fined/jailed for breaking the law by trying to pass this which is outlawed by the state constitution and the state’s preemption law. They should have to use personal funds to pay the fines and defend themselves in court, not taxpayer’s money! Until there are repercussions, monetary losses and jail time for trying to pass unconstitutional and illegal bills, this will never end. Why should it? No skin off their nose, as the saying goes.
A clear violation of the Constitution. Once this jerk signs this into law, you have the evidence of treason! File charges against this jerk and have him removed from office along with all the other conspirators. Constitutionalists gun owners: Go on the offensive.
Unless they changed the Laws from when I lived, and sold guns there (born and raised), it is already Law that you must be 21 to purchase a handgun.
When state and local legislators Can understand the definition of “ASSAULT” these stupid morinc laws will stop being put up for a vote. Assault is an action, a verb, no object without a conscious, can commit an action. It takes a HUMAN to act out. The more guns that are in good hands the lower the crime rates. This has been proven time and time again. Humanity is doomed if these law makers continue to be put into office by idiots that claim to fear guns. A gun cannot in any way shape or form move itself to commit an act of violence, Biden and his flock seem to know otherwise and still have yet to prove it.
Again, the gun violence is almost solely perpetrated by one group. Such gun ordinances have done nothing to stop shootings in other democrat run hellholes like Chicago.
Those responsible for drafting and passing these laws undoubtedly took an oath to protect the constitution. They should be removed from office and forbidden from holding office or even voting, ever again.
As always, these gun bans are unconstitutional.
Pass all the laws you want!! Criminals don’t obey law, only the “Good Guy” will be affected. Highest crime rate is in the MOST GUN RESTRICTED CITIES.R
Demshevik 3 Point Plan
A. Make more unproven laws
B. Enforce fewer proven laws
C. Let the chips fall where they may
typical communists………..breaking the laws they enforce