7/12/2016 14:44:54 Closed by Anonymous
Response sent.
closed: Resolved #153924
Other: Comment
Mayor Email: To Whom it May Concern at the Office of the Mayor: Hello! My name is Aubrey Seader, and I'm a resident of Bloomington (living in the two-mile fringe on the south side). Recently my family and I were involved in and attended the annual 4th of July parade in downtown Bloomington. The parade was mostly really great! It's great to see so many people and organizations that are a part of my community, that I don't normally get to interact with. There was one float in the parade, however, that made myself and many of my friends and family very nervous and very angry. The float consisted of two vehicles - both Jeeps I think - carrying men holding up or displaying in some way automatic rifles. Machine guns. Men and women walked beside the cars displaying side arms, and other large guns. One man held up over his head a laminated copy of the constitution. As offensive and sickening as this display was - just weeks after the attack on Pulse nightclub that killed 40 people - I realize it was completely legal and that the city is not permitted to refuse entry to the parade to any group if what they are doing follows the letter of the law. I'm not even sure if the mayor's office has anything to do with city events like the parade. I just wanted to write to someone and say that seeing this float was terrifying. These people not only had multiple automatic weapons... these weapons were clearly loaded. I could see the clips and rounds attached to them. And families, children, all of us just had to hold our breath and watch as they passed. Gun violence has traumatized the US for years now, as we've seen our own president give 16 condolence speeches following mass shootings .. just within the past FOUR YEARS. I remember the day I heard about the shooting at Sandy Hook. All the breath just fell out of me and I'm still not quite able to get past the knowledge that after the horrifying deaths of dozens of elementary-aged children, America did nothing to enact stricter, common sense gun safety laws. In my mind, the way this 4th of July float, in our City of Bloomington parade, made light of this grief, this trauma we all sit with everyday, could be compared to a float making light of the events of September 11th. There has to be some way we can at least prevent people from bringing loaded assault weapons to public events. Perhaps they can be allowed to bring the mechanical part of the gun, but we have to make sure they leave all their amo at home. I'm sad that we can't remove guns from public places the way we've banned smoking within so many feet of local businesses and public buildings. But for now, can we work on requiring parade participants to leave their assault rifle amo at home? I can't imagine the fear struck in the hearts of every parent in that crowd on Monday. Those people that made that float should be ashamed of themselves. Thank you for reading this. If there's anyone at the city you can suggest I speak to about this matter, I'd love to get their contact information! Thanks for all the great work you do! Best, Aubrey Seader
History
7/12/2016 14:44:41 Anonymous contacted Anonymous
Dear Aubrey Seader, Thank you for sharing your concerns about the firearms displayed on the Panther Ridge Training Center float during the Fourth of July parade. We received a lot of input about this situation, much of it from parade attendees made uncomfortable by the open display of firearms in a public setting. City staff members from the Office of the Mayor, Legal, Parks and Recreation and Bloomington Police Departments are looking into this issue from several perspectives. It’s important to note that the State Legislature enacted a 2011 state law regarding the public carry of firearms. Prior to 2011, the City of Bloomington restricted the public display of weapons in our parks and public spaces. The 2011 state law (IC-35-47-11.1) change eliminated those provisions. Listed below is a summary of the impacts of the 2011 state law. With limited exceptions, Indiana state law prohibits municipalities from regulating firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories. It would be illegal for the City of Bloomington to prohibit a person from carrying firearms in public areas or at public events. Indiana does not have an exception for displaying firearms during a parade. State law does not make any distinction between open-carry and concealed-carry of firearms. The City cannot regulate individuals who are openly carrying nor can it regulate individuals who are carrying concealed firearms. Cities that impermissibly regulate firearms and are successfully sued are subject to an unusually expensive penalty provision. State law allows a citizen found to have been adversely affected by an improper local firearm regulation to collect three times his/her attorney’s fees and damages. The Panther Ridge Training Center was not legally required to inform parade organizers of plans to display guns, and their float participants would only have had to show a carry permit if asked to do so by a police officer. (Verifying licenses can be a complicated task that the City believes is best handled by law enforcement personnel.) There are very limited exceptions to the state law. For example, a city may prohibit or restrict firearms in buildings with courtrooms. Additionally, private property owners may regulate the possession of firearms on their private property, and entities leasing public property may, at their own discretion, impose restrictions on carrying firearms. That having been said, any person who observes an unsecured weapon in any location should immediately contact law enforcement. I would urge you to contact the Governor’s office and your state legislators to voice your opinion. Below is contact information for those elected officials: Governor Mike Pence: (317) 569-0709, communications@mikepence.com Indiana Senate Sen. Mark Stoops: (800) 382-9467, s40@in.gov Indiana House of Representatives Rep. Matt Pierce: (800) 382-9842, h61@iga.in.gov Indiana House of Representatives Rep. Peggy Mayfield: (317) 232-9816, h60@iga.in.gov Indiana House of Representatives Rep. Jeff Ellington: (317) 232-9863, h62@iga.in.gov Indiana House of Representatives Rep. Robert Heaton: (317) 232-9981, h46@iga.in.gov I’m sure this does not completely address your concerns. As a local municipality, our options are, in this instance, severely limited by state law. However, again, we are looking at this issue closely to see what options we might have at our disposal to address the concerns voiced by many of the parade attendees while respecting the rights of all concerned. Again, thank you for writing. Your input on this matter is appreciated. Best, Mary Catherine Carmichael, Communications Director