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On the heels of one of the city’s most violent weeks, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is calling on legislators to help keep violent criminals behind bars for more time.
Ballard testified in front of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, Monday.
He says the rise in violence in Indianapolis could be mitigated by ensuring those who commit crimes serve more time.
"The men and women of the Indianapolis Police Department are doing great work arresting people accused of violent crimes, but they should not have to arrest the same gun-toting criminals every three years," said Ballard. "For criminals, current penalties for using a gun are just a cost of doing business. They are not punishment and they are not a deterrence."
The bill would allow the state to seek a fixed 10- to 20-year prison term for someone who uses a firearm in crimes such a murder, assaults and kidnapping.
Right now, the law is five years.
"Criminals that brandish a gun during a crime do so to instill fear in their victims. It is time for our laws to instill similar fear in them," said Ballard. "When you use a gun during the commission of a crime in Indiana, you should spend at least a generation behind bars."
The legislation also includes harsher penalties for someone who sells a gun to a felon and knows they are going to use it for crimes.
It passed out of committee with an 8-1 vote and now goes to the full House.
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