By Brian Kern
INDIANAPOLIS — A new report out of Washington, D.C., tags Indiana as a state which “lacks common sense restrictions” regarding gun violence.
The report comes from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, an advocacy group inspired by former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady.
Brady nearly died after being gunned down in a 1981 assassination attempt on then President Ronald Reagan and has since become a staunch supporter of stronger state and federal mandates on gun control.
Indiana earned just eight points out of a possible 100 on the Brady Scorecard, which evaluates state measures to curb gun violence. The majority of those points came from restrictions on guns in public places with the Hoosier state receiving credit for prohibitions on guns in the workplace, on college campuses, and on the use of deadly force as a first option within a public setting.
Doug Pennington, assistant director of communications for the Brady Campaign, says that the report card demonstrates the need for further legislative action on the state level.
“If the state decided to require a criminal background check on all gun purchases or issue a restriction on bulk handgun sales, then that would certainly help,” Pennington said. “Some people think that it’s politically impossible to do this, but what if it were just done at gun shows? Doing those two things alone would elevate [Indiana] considerably. In fact, they’d jump into the top 10.”
Unlicensed dealers who sell from private gun collections are not currently required to conduct background checks, Pennington explained.
Indiana is not alone with respect to poor scores. The organization reports that two-thirds of all states scored less than 20 points when evaluated and almost half of all states failed to even muster 10 points.
Jane Jankowski, press secretary for Gov. Mitch Daniels, said the administration is evaluating Indiana’s current gun control laws.
“It is one of those things that we are certainly aware of and that we continue to work through in order to come up with a solution,” Jankowski said. “It’s something that will involve multiple agency coordination, just as with any issue within the state.”
Brian Kern writes for the Hendricks County Flyer in Avon, Ind.
