Like a number of other large governmental bodies, Indianapolis, which has been governed solely by Democratic mayors since the initial Eisenhower administration, frequently deflects its issues onto everything but its own political leadership and policies.
Responding to the rise in crime rates, a common issue in many urban, Democratic-leaning cities following the pandemic and the Summer of Love in remembrance of George Floyd, Mayor Joe Hogsett is now pointing fingers at guns. Recently, he managed to pass a series of gun control laws, including an "assault weapons" ban, prohibition of gun sales to people under 21, and mandatory handgun licensing, among other things, through the predominantly Democratic city council.
However, the problem lies in the fact that these laws are clearly and intentionally unlawful and impossible to enforce.
This is due to Indiana's state preemption law, which stops local areas from implementing their own stricter gun control laws than those of the state. Many states have such sensible laws to avoid creating an inconsistent and impractical myriad of differing gun control regulations, which would turn firearm ownership and carriage into a legal labyrinth.
Does the Indianapolis government show any concern that these actions taken by the city government are illegal? The answer is apparently a resounding 'no'. This act of political grandstanding does not seem to be about genuinely reducing crime, but rather about making a show of taking action while criticizing Republicans who control the state capital. It seems that the concept of apprehending, prosecuting, and imprisoning law violators has not crossed the minds of those in the city government of Indianapolis.
Mayor Joe Hogsett, currently in the middle of a re-election campaign, publicly celebrated some sort of "win" after these laws were ratified.
The Indianapolis Star reports as follows...
The strategy, revealed by Hogsett in May as a comprehensive response to gun violence, consists of two initiatives. One is a list of ambitious but stricter gun control measures, which cannot be implemented in Indianapolis unless Indiana alters its gun laws. The other allows the city to recruit three new federal prosecutors to deal with serious violent crime more sternly.
The proposed gun control measures, humorously described by the newspaper as only "aspirational", are known to be legally flawed, even by those who voted for them. Nevertheless, they serve their purpose as a convenient election tool for the Mayor.
My statement on tonight’s @IndyCouncil passage of Proposals 149 and 156: pic.twitter.com/HzMuyGp5U3
— Mayor Joe Hogsett (@IndyMayorJoe) July 11, 2023
Not shockingly...
All five Republican councilors rejected the gun control measures.
"I am voting against this not only because I oppose the ineffectual language and the policy itself, but also because it possibly infringes state statute and the state constitution," stated Council Minority Leader Brian Mowery during the council meeting. He added that the proposal is believed by the Indiana Office of the Attorney General to breach the state preemption law.
A number of Democratic councilors passionately implored the state to enforce stricter gun regulation and expressed their endorsement for what many named as commonsense gun laws in the proposal.
Thus continues the usual political posturing by the usual culprits. The story goes on.
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