opinion

Gun bills threaten Hoosiers’ safety

It is no surprise that it is state Rep. Jim Lucas who has submitted Indiana House bills 1143 and 1144 in support of the National Rifle Association’s and the gun industry’s quest to arm America. HB 1143 would prohibit a state agency, including a state college or university in Indiana, from regulating the possession of firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories on land and in buildings and other structures owned by the state. The bill would also allow a person to bring an action against such entity if the person is adversely affected by a rule, measure, enactment or a policy that violates this rule. The gun industry has been pushing states to adopt laws that would prohibit the restriction of guns on America’s college campuses. There are roughly 20 million students enrolled in postsecondary education in the U.S., which includes both state and private institutions. The gun industry sees this as a huge new market for gun sales and has no concern for the consequences. But Lucas didn’t stop there.

Lucas has introduced another bill, HB 1144, that would repeal the Indiana law that requires a person to obtain a license to carry a handgun in Indiana. Under current law, an applicant does not qualify for a license to carry if he or she has a conviction for a felony or for a misdemeanor domestic battery. A license can also be denied if the applicant has been arrested for a violent crime and a court has found probable cause to believe that the person committed the offense charged. Documented substance abuse is a disqualifier, as is documented evidence of any given person's propensity for violent or emotionally unstable conduct. Lucas, with support from the NRA lobby which is motivated by gun sales and profits, would make it legal for these individuals to carry handguns on our streets. The gun industry profits from gun violence because the sale of guns increases as more blood is spilled on our streets.

The NRA keeps telling us that the solution to gun violence in this country is to arm more people. If more guns mean less crime, then why, with 300 million guns, are we not the safest country in the world? In fact, we have more guns and gun-related deaths than any other industrialized country. Contact your representative in the Indiana legislature now and make it known, in no uncertain terms, that you want HB 1143 and 1144 killed now.

Ed Smith

President, Hoosiers Concerned about Gun Violence

Indianapolis