When the Hoosiers Unite for Marriage coalition was announced last month, its spokesman said the organization would not support legislation or endorse candidates but instead build support for same-sex marriage by working “to change hearts and minds.”
Hearts and minds are changing rapidly on the subject even without the coalition’s work, and court rulings that overwhelmingly affirm the rights of same-sex couples are changing laws across the nation.
What’s not changing is the resistance of Indiana elected officials to recognize those changes, a resistance affecting not just gay marriage but dozens of issues held hostage by an ultra-conservative faction effectively employing its electoral clout. Until more moderate voices do the same, Indiana will continue to waste time on divisive issues that hamper its economic progress.
Gun control measures are one example. Hoosiers certainly recognize Second Amendment rights, but they also support sensible regulation. The WISH-TV/Ball State University Hoosier Survey last November found 83 percent of Indiana residents favor background checks for buyers at gun shows or private sales; 54 support banning assault weapons; 65 percent favor a national database of gun owners, and only 38 percent support arming teachers and school employees.
So what did the General Assembly do with that information? Why, it passed a law allowing adults to keep guns in their cars in school parking lots.
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