FORT WAYNE — Angola Mayor Dick Hickman said his granddaughter, a kindergartner, recently was afraid to go to school after learning about widespread gun violence nationally.
Hickman said she was reassured by her parents that everything possible was being done to assure her safety. Still, Hickman said he was amazed she learned about the controversial national issue.
The issue has came to the forefront recently with the killing of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., one month ago, as well as shootings at an Aurora, Colo., theater and at Virginia Tech.
Hickman joined Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and public safety officials from the Fort Wayne Police Department and Fort Wayne Fire Department Monday to call on President Barack Obama and members of Congress to take immediate steps to end gun violence, which reportedly kills 33 Americans every day.
“We’re hoping to get some sane conversation going … with problems with illegal guns and trafficking,” Hickman said. “I can’t believe people aren’t willing to talk about this.”
The press conference was part of a national effort of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, of which both Hickman and Henry are members. Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a gun control advocacy group formed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Hickman and Henry are calling on Washington to support common-sense gun reforms including requiring that every person who buys a gun pass a criminal background check, banning military-style assault weapons, ammunition magazines and making gun trafficking a federal crime.
The issue has sparked debate.
“It’s nothing here compared to big cities and we don’t want there to be. It’s an ongoing battle, but you can’t throw your hands up and not do anything,” Hickman said.
Part of the issue, Hickman said, stems partly from cutbacks in mental health.
“I think I heard there’s only 133 beds in Indiana. We seem to (have cut back) on mental health. I think we need to address that,” he said.
Another issue, he said, is the nation’s numerous gun laws. Hickman said he’s heard there’s more than 20,000 gun laws nationally. “I think we need to look at those,” he said. “I’ve heard 38 percent households have guns.”
Hickman said he’s talked to Angola Police Chief Stu Hamblen about gun control.
“I don’t want to speak for him, but we don’t want more (powerful) weapons” in the hands illegally of perpetrators than the police have.
“We want to protect citizens and first responders. With I-69 and the toll road, there’s a lot of bad guys on the roads,” he said. “What’s wrong with being against illegal guns? It’s not the hunters. It’s those getting guns illegally. I’ve owned guns and when I do — it will be legally.”
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is hosting events across the country. In addition, a new national television ad will begin airing in the Fort Wayne market detailing the importance of reducing gun violence. The ad is available at DemandAPlan.org.
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan and Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler were not able to attend Monday’s event, but have offered their support for efforts to reduce gun violence. Mayors Henry, Hickman, Freeman-Wilson, Kruzan and Tyler are members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Local officials also noted that since the Newtown shooting, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has added more than 100 mayors to its national bipartisan coalition to end gun violence and grown to more than 1 million supporters. In an effort to keep their community safe, leaders urged Washington to end gun violence in America by:
• Requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales. Federal law only requires background checks for gun sales at licensed dealers. Almost 6.5 million guns are sold each year in the U.S. by unlicensed “private sellers,” a news release said, including online and at gun shows. That means between 40 percent and 50 percent of gun sales may take place with no background check for the buyer.
• Banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Today, people with criminal records or with serious mental illness can and buy assault weapons from unlicensed private sellers who don’t conduct background checks.
• Make gun trafficking a federal crime. Every year, tens of thousands of guns find their way into the hands of criminals through illegal trafficking channels. But there is no clear and effective statute that makes gun trafficking a federal crime.