By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Three days after criticizing Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Democrat, for pushing a gun control package which cannot be enforced because it would violate Indiana’s preemption law, Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve has announced his own plan, which includes a proposal that strikes at the heart of preemption.
On his campaign website, Shreve’s proposal says, “Local firearm laws are preempted in almost every respect by the state legislature…To that end, a Shreve Administration will seek home rule on gun regulation for the purpose of restricting the almost unlimited approach presently mandated by the Indiana General Assembly.”
TGM reached out to the Shreve campaign, but did not receive a timely response.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Hogsett campaign manager Blake Hesch called Shreve’s proposal “a hodgepodge of repackaged programs that already exist.”
“And when it comes to Jefferson’s relationship with the gun lobby,” Hesch said, “he was either misleading them in 2016 to get the NRA’s highest grade, or he’s misleading us now. Either way, he’s willing to say or do anything to get elected.”
Shreve’s package includes:
- Raising the minimum age to buy a firearm in Indianapolis to 21 years,
- Banning so-called “assault weapons” in the city,
- Restoring the requirement for a concealed carry license to carry a firearm in the city (Indiana has permitless carry)
According to Axios, Shreve said in a speech, “We won’t try to shame our rural legislators over policies they chose for their parts of the state. We’ll respect them — and ask them to respect us as we pursue solutions unique to the crime challenges facing Marion County.”
Shreve’s published position on guns seems to counter claims by the Hogsett team he is beholden to the so-called “gun lobby.” How this may affect his ability to attract gun owners to support his candidacy remains to be seen.
Shreve earned a high rating from the NRA during his run for Indiana Senate in 2016, in which he did not survive the primary, according to the IndyStar. The newspaper said Shreve has an NRA membership dating back to 2011, when he took a handgun safety course and bought a handgun. The NRA offers a variety of firearms safety courses with thousands of instructors across the country, so it is not unusual for someone to have taken such a course.
In his campaign literature, Shreve detailed his position on raising the minimum age for buying a firearm in the city.
“Under federal law, the minimum age to buy a handgun is 21, so long as it is bought from a federally licensed dealer. However, that age drops to 18, when the handgun is purchased through a private sale. The age to buy a long gun is also 18. Age restrictions to buy a firearm should be consistent. As mayor, I will proactively advocate to increase the age required to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21, no matter what kind of sale occurs.
“Both fatal and non-fatal shootings are on the rise in our city and guns are too accessible to young people,” he continues. “Indiana mandates 21 years of age to purchase alcohol. However, an 18-year old can purchase a semi-automatic rifle or handgun through a private sale. If we do not trust young people to purchase alcohol, how can we be ok with them purchasing a firearm? Teenagers are more prone to acting on impulse rather than thinking through the consequences. Many of our homicide numbers are attributed to disagreements among teenagers, who then escalate the situation by bringing guns into the mix. I believe that raising the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21 will make it more difficult for these young people to access firearms and reduce the likelihood that a disagreement will result in a shooting. Additionally, there is evidence that those who are 21 and unable to purchase a firearm due to their criminal record may send out their younger friends, with no criminal record, to purchase a firearm for them. Changing the age requirement will inhibit this practice. If a juvenile utilizes a weapon to commit a crime, it is imperative that we go after those that provided the weapon.”
In order to accomplish this, Shreve would have to convince state lawmakers to water down the preemption law, and that may be difficult.
