Hoosier Governor To Defend The Second Amendment? – Eric Holcomb

Hoosier Governor To Defend The Second Amendment? - Eric Holcomb, iStock-884171528
Hoosier Governor To Defend The Second Amendment? – Eric Holcomb, iStock-884171528

Indiana – -(AmmoLand.com)- During a presidential year, it can be easy to overlook gubernatorial races. This can be very understandable – the presidency is not for all of the marbles, but it can come pretty darn close in some areas. Governorships, though, have often been a launching pad for presidents and presidential nominees. Since 1976, four of the seven men who have held the Oval Office were governors.

That is why Indiana’s gubernatorial race is one Second Amendment supporters ought to keep an eye on. At the presidential level, Indiana has long been a reliable “red” state, save for Barack Obama’s very narrow win of that state in 2008. The governorship was a somewhat different story. From 1989-2005, it was held by Democrats. Evan Bayh used the governorship to win two terms in the United States Senate, and Joe Donnelly won one term in 2012.

The current incumbent, Eric Holcomb, is running for re-election. In one sense, Holcomb is an “accidental” governor – he was a last-minute replacement on the 2016 ballot because then-Indiana governor Mike Pence halted his re-election bid to be Donald Trump’s running mate. He’d been Pence’s lieutenant governor for roughly six months, having suspended a Senate campaign (later won by Todd Young) to take that office. Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, he’d been a staff member for both federal lawmakers and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Mitch Daniels. He also was chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

While Indiana has always been respectful of our Second Amendment rights, Holcomb measurably improved the situation there by signing legislation that eliminated carry permit fees. Not only that, during the pandemic, he took steps to ensure that people could still exercise their Second Amendment rights. Consider, as a contrast, the actions of Roy Cooper, another governor up for re-election.

A pro-Second Amendment governor in Indiana is more important than you might think. With the high crime rates in Chicago, that state’s respect for the Second Amendment is often a scapegoat – see Lori Lightfoot in 2019 and 2020 – used by politicians to deflect blame for a failure to address crime. Of course, they also ignore a number of federal laws that can put someone who ran guns from Indiana to Chicago away for a very long time (one hypothetical puts a bad guy away for over a thousand years).

Holcomb is facing Woody Myers, whose campaign site indicates a likelihood he will join Lightfoot in seeking to punish Indiana residents for crimes committed in Chicago. As such, Second Amendment supporters need to get to work. Holcomb’s campaign site is here. They should also donate to the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund to help pro-Second Amendment candidates at all levels.


About Harold HutchisonHarold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

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Stocks

I just went to his campaign website. I didn’t see anything about the 2A on the issues page…or anywhere else.

Tionico

Well done Harold. This is good and useful writing. Keep it up. The details you have brought to the table are important.

Branden

Holcombe did good things in the 2a department but that’s about it. He handcuffed the police in indy and let rioters tear down the city. Jim lucas is the man behind all the 2a progress in Indiana

IN Dave

Hmmm, don’t know if this is good news or bad news but I didn’t even realize someone was running against Holcomb until I read this.

J Gibbons

The Democrats practically had to beg Woody to run. No one wanted to go up against Holcomb.

I’m a proud Holcomb supporter. He’s done a lot for the 2nd, but there is more that can be done to protect the rights of all Hoosiers.

ajm

I was just wondering if you have considered libertarian Donald Rainwater for governor. He is pro-concealment carry in the state of Indiana. A recent poll showed him with 24% of the vote.