INDIANAPOLIS—On Friday, Indiana Senate Democrats sent a letter to Governor Holcomb urging him to call a special session to actually protect life in Indiana by passing common-sense gun safety legislation. Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:

“In the wake of the horrific massacre in Uvalde, the urgency to adopt stronger gun safety laws is clear. On July 1, permitless carry will become legal in Indiana. It will be easier for an 18-year-old in our state to access a gun than it will be for them to vote. We cannot let this happen.

“For the first time ever, the leading cause of death among children is gun violence. This epidemic is unacceptable–made all the more so because we know what can be done to address this harrowing statistic: pass common-sense gun safety regulations.

“That’s why we’re calling on Governor Holcomb to immediately call a special session to protect life in Indiana. Our colleagues across the aisle have expressed their desire to protect innocent lives in our state—this is our opportunity. We hope to hear their unified call to take immediate action on gun violence which is responsible for the death of more children than any other cause.

“Our caucus is not calling for anything extreme–we’re asking for the adoption of popular measures that the majority of Hoosiers want: universal background checks, gun safety storage requirements, stronger red flag laws, permit and license requirements, etc. These are measures that responsible gun owners support, and we hope to reconvene as soon as possible to begin taking action to advance these policies. We look forward to the Governor’s response to our request to promote and protect the lives of innocent Hoosier children.”