Submitted
On Wednesday, State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) joined the largest convening of state lawmakers from across the nation at the White House seeking solutions to the gun violence crisis. The convening included the announcement of $334 million in grant funding for law enforcement agencies to expand crime gun intelligence.
Garcia Wilburn’s visit to Washington coincides with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force’s Dec. 12 press conference in which they shared that youth violence is on the rise in central Indiana and that more teenagers are accessing guns.
“I want to commend Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart, IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey and their team for their critical work on the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force,” Garcia Wilburn said. “By working with the task force and its integration of city, state and federal agencies, Fishers Police have helped confiscated 406 illegal guns in Fishers alone. This is the leadership that needs to happen to keep our kids, families, and community safe.”
In 2023, Garcia Wilburn passed her first authored law, House Enrolled Act 1321, which aims to improve the mental health of Indiana’s heroic first responders. Her law requires annual in-service virtual training for first responders, including law enforcement, full-time professional firefighters, and EMS. Additionally, Garcia Wilburn co-authored House Enrolled Act 1365 (2023), which bans machine gun conversion devices. Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis) authored HEA 1365.
“I am thankful I was able to pass several meaningful gun violence prevention measures into law this year and take that experience with me to Washington, D.C. this week,” Garcia Wilburn said. “Strong partnerships with law enforcement are key to decreasing gun violence in Indiana. My proudest moment thus far as a lawmaker was when Gov. Holcomb signed my bill into law to make sure that law enforcement and other first responders have suicide prevention and mental health training. Law enforcement can’t tackle gun violence when they’re struggling with their mental health, and my hope is that my law will address that in addition to helping our law enforcement agencies be fully staffed. Second to that was learning that local law enforcement has been able to use HEA 1365, which I co-authored, to charge people with machine gun conversion devices in their possession.”
As she returns from Washington and prepares for the 2024 legislative session, Garcia Wilburn intends to bring back several policy ideas to decrease gun violence and deal with its traumatic impacts:
- Improve lethal means safety for people at risk of suicide. Indiana made a historic investment in mental health in 2023 by expanding the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, but more remains to be done. Cable locks, gun safes, off-site storage sites and extreme risk protection orders have been proven to save lives, and Indiana should take a proactive public health approach to making these widely available in Hoosier communities. The Indiana Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families is working to keep servicemembers and veterans safe.
- Fund law enforcement initiatives to hold shooters and gun traffickers accountable. This includes improving clearance rates for homicides and shootings by funding investigatory units, crime gun tracing, identifying gun trafficking efforts and bolstering intelligence efforts like the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force.
“It’s heartening to me that Indiana has already made progress on improving lethal means safety for people at risk of suicide, like our military and veterans, and holding gun traffickers accountable,” Garcia Wilburn said. “The Indiana Crime Guns Task Force is turning its attention toward figuring out how straw buyers are getting guns into the hands of teens, and I’m grateful to them for that. Together, there is more to be done, and I intend to do all I can the next legislative session and in years to come.”