More than 200 Black Hoosiers lost their lives to homicide in 2019, and a new report reveals the state has one of the highest overall rates of Black homicide victims in the nation.

Based on federal crime data, the study found the 2019 Black homicide victimization rate in Indiana was nearly 29 homicides per 100,000 Black residents, which is the country's third-highest rate.

Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, which issued the report, said most of the states with high rankings share a common thread.

"They have limited gun violence prevention laws in the state itself, and often rely solely, or nearly solely, on federal standards," Sugarmann explained. "This is the case with Indiana, which has virtually no controls beyond the federal statutes."

The study only includes data up to 2019, the most recent year such federal crime statistics are available. The raw data is supplied to the federal government by local law enforcement agencies. And while the report's authors pointed out the study includes the most accurate information available, they added its findings are "limited by the quantity and degree of detail in the information submitted."

Nearly 90% of Black Hoosiers who died by homicide in 2019 were killed with a firearm.

Sugarmann argued the best way to address the issue is by implementing a range of gun control policies. It might be a tough pitch in the GOP-controlled General Assembly, but such proposals could find traction in local communities across the state.

However, as Sugarmann acknowledged, local officials are not allowed to pass gun laws stricter than the state-level standards.

"Now, when you have virtually no state standards, that leaves those communities with no options to basically empower them to address the issues on a local level," Sugarmann stated. "I think that could be a very important first step in addressing this level of violence in Indiana."

The report is part of an ongoing series from the Violence Policy Center, examining Black homicide data both at the state and national level. Sugarmann noted the FBI recently changed its crime-reporting protocols, which could reduce the amount of available data for future reports and limit research into gun violence.

Advocates of gun-law reform face an uphill battle to push their ideas through the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly, but say public sentiment on firearms safety may be moving some to action.

Groups seeking to change Indiana gun laws say recent high-profile shooting incidents heighten the need for universal background checks, storage regulations, raising the minimum age to buy and carry a gun, and the banning of homemade or "ghost" guns.

A poll by the Pew Research Center found more than 70% of Americans believe gun violence is either a "moderate" or "major" problem in the country.

Jerry King, president of Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence, said the gun lobby has a lot of influence in Indiana.

"A fanatical minority of people who think that any encroachment on possession is a violation, any kind of reasonable regulation is a violation, of the Second Amendment," King pointed out. "I think those folks will be with us for a long time."

King's optimism is a result of some gun reform measures getting bipartisan support on such issues as strengthened gun- and ammunition-storage regulations and closing loopholes in the state's "red flag" law. Republican leaders say their goal is to protect Second Amendment rights and make Indiana a safer place to live.

King explained the gun-storage regulations are partly aimed at slowing the high rate of suicide-by-gun incidents, with measures requiring guns and ammunition to be stored in separate rooms. He is also concerned another law, approved in 2022, makes guns too easy to get.

"Last year, Indiana passed permitless carry legislation, pretty much allowing any person of age to go into a gun shop and not sign any document," King noted. "They put their money down, and they walk out with a gun."

King believes public sentiment on gun regulation is on his group's side, but added it is important for voters of all stripes to make their feelings known to their legislators.

"One of our goals is to get more and more of those people to send emails to their legislators, call their legislators, write personal notes; even better," King urged. "Our goals ought to be to shift the balance on how lawmakers see public sentiment."

Illinois has become the ninth state to approve a statewide ban on assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

On Tuesday, the Protect Illinois Communities Act passed by the General Assembly along party lines, bans AR-15s and other military-style weapons, and limits long-gun magazines to 10 rounds and handguns to 15.

The measure was passed just six months following a mass shooting at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, which left seven people dead and 48 injured.

Sheri Wilson, Illinois chapter co-leader for Moms Demand Action, said it has been a long haul, but was worth it.

"Regular citizens should not be having access to weapons of war," Wilson contended. "These massacres that we see on the news are typically a result of having an assault weapon by the hand of the shooter. So, that is significant."

Gov. JB Pritzker said he will sign the legislation. Gun-rights advocates and firearms dealers have vowed to take the state to court over the ban, calling it a "clear violation of Second Amendment rights." Current owners would be able to keep their guns for limited use, but must register them and provide serial numbers to the Illinois State Police.

The bill also includes expedited implementation of universal background checks, but does not change the age for firearms ID cards. Wilson pointed out the measure contains many of the elements her group wanted in a gun-control measure.

"It addresses gun suicide, assault weapons, and getting the serial numbers onto these weapons is really important," Wilson asserted. "And that's one of the things that we pushed for."

Wilson added Moms Demand Action was created shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting took place in December 2012, and many of its members have connections to people killed or injured in mass shootings.

"The reason why we do this work is so that we recognize the people that have had their lives taken from gun violence," Wilson explained. "And also the surviving family members and friends because that pain just never goes away."

Community members continue to voice concerns about gunshot-detecting technology being considered in Portland.

At a recent Inter-Faith Peace and Action Collaborative meeting, opponents of the technology known as ShotSpotter pointed out its weaknesses.

Jonathan Manes, attorney at the MacArthur Justice Center in Chicago, where the ShotSpotter surveillance system has been implemented, said there are no published studies about how the technology responds to loud noises, and notes every time it is triggered, police are expecting to find someone armed and potentially dangerous.

"To the extent that the system is being triggered by loud noises -- like fireworks, cars backfiring, etc. -- it's creating unnecessary, dangerous situations, and putting people under false suspicion," Manes contended.

Supporters of the ShotSpotter program said it is necessary to address the growing number of gun deaths in Portland. But a 2021 study from the MacArthur Justice Center found it led to more than 40,000 dead-end police deployments in Chicago in less than two years. A ShotSpotter spokesperson says the report draws erroneous conclusions from its interpretation of police reports.

Je Amaechi, digital organizer for Portland-based Freedom to Thrive, who also spoke at the Inter-Faith meeting, said a more equitable response to gun violence would be to help lift people out of poverty.

"Spending thousands of dollars, and even millions on a system that primes police to see underserved people in a particular region as armed assailants - that is not an equitable use of data, in any kind of way," Amaechi asserted. "And the idea that it could be an equitable data - I mean, it escapes reason."

The ShotSpotter contract with Portland could be worth up to $1 million a year.

Sarah Hamid, campaign director for the Carceral Tech Resistance Network in Portland, spoke at the meeting as well. She said there are racial disparities in how the ShotSpotter technology has been implemented in other cities.

"So, when we think about why it is that people are starting to feel that technology is racist, it might just be because old racisms are being recuperated through scientific language," Hamid contended.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's office is developing a proposal for the city council on ShotSpotter, but has not yet established a timeline for when it would be introduced.