Smith calls for action against permitless carry after senseless shooting in Gary

GARY – In response to a shooting early Tuesday morning in Gary, Indiana that left three dead and seven wounded, State Representative Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary) issued the following statement:

“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the families who have also become victims of these senseless murders. Words cannot even come close to expressing the grief my community and I feel right now,” Smith said. “The young men and women who lost their lives to this horrific violence had their whole future ahead of them. What was supposed to be an evening full of joyful Fourth of July celebrations became yet another devastating incident of gun violence.

“It should not be lost on us that this shooting happened in an urban, African American community. Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. We experience 10 times the gun homicides and 18 times the gun assault injuries of white Americans. We as lawmakers must be doing more to prioritize community- and evidence-based solutions to end gun violence in Black communities– including abolishing permitless carry.

“What’s more is that this happened in the wake of the recent Highland Park shooting in which seven people died and dozens were injured. It pains me to know that so many innocent people have become victims of mindless gun violence across the U.S. How can anyone look at the shootings that are wracking our nation and think that a permitless carry law would benefit Hoosier lives?  I am urging Governor Holcomb and his Republican colleagues to have empathy for the families devastated by this tragedy in Gary and reconsider this harmful legislation.”