by Abdul-Hakim Shabazz

The last time the City of Indianapolis saw fewer than 100 homicides for the year, Barack Obama was President, and Mitch Daniels was wrapping up his second term as Governor.

It was 2012.

I miss the days we got worked up with over 150 murders annually. Now with murder rates for the past few years over 200, a lot of us wish for a return to the “good old days”.

And it’s not going to get any better under the latest attempts by the City of Indianapolis.

The Mayor, Joe Hogsett, has proposed a series of anti-gun violence measures, which he and his supporters ultimately hope will reduce crime and gun-related violence.

The measures are as follows…

  • Ban the sale of military-style guns.
  • Raise the minimum age to purchase guns from 18 to 21
  • Prohibit permitless carry and concealed carry of handguns in Marion County.
  • Hire three city attorneys who will work full-time with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana on gun crimes.
  • Work toward creating designated gun-free zones when requested by private event holders on public property.
  • And create a targeted strategy aimed at “problem properties” that are magnets for violent crime.

The first three would require a change in state law, and let’s be honest, that ain’t gonna happen. I’ve covered the Indiana General Assembly for nearly 20 years, and trust me when I say it ain’t gonna happen.

I like the part about hiring more attorneys to work with the feds; it makes sense. The same goes for problem properties which are definitely a problem in Indianapolis. I can live with the gun-free zones on public property for private events as that is voluntary and a matter of choice.

But the gun part of this, give me a break.

As I stated earlier, first, to do any of the gun measures of this proposal would require changes to state law, and with the Republican supermajority in the legislature, it’s not going to happen. The administration knows this, and even the city attorney made this abundantly clear. So why even put a proposal into action that won’t do a darn thing to prevent gun violence?

Do you really have to ask?

It’s an election year! Duh!!!

Anyone who has paid attention this campaign season knows crime is the number one issue for a lot of voters, and illegally possessed guns are a big part of the problem. So city leaders are counting on most of the electorate to be so relieved that the city is doing something, or at least making the appearance of doing something, that it will work in the incumbents’ favor.

This isn’t rocket science. The administration can blame Indiana lawmakers for the increased gun violence because “those lawmakers who aren’t from our city don’t care about us, so don’t blame the folks who’ve overseen the rise in violent crime and gun violence for the past eight years.”

Tell that to the people who will be murdered this weekend. Based on my math, 170 days/100 murders = 1.79 average murders per day. Throw in Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which means about five people, give or take, will have their lives snuffed out by gun-related violence, and the city’s answer is to pass ordinances that run contrary to state law and can’t be enforced.

I honestly don’t know who comes up with these ideas.

Hopefully, I can find out at the next funeral of a victim of gun-related violence.

Abdul-Hakim is a licensed attorney in Indiana and Illinois.  He is also the editor and publisher of Indy Politics.