State legislators from across the nation gathered at the White House last week for a landmark meeting on gun violence prevention, where the Biden-Harris administration announced the Safer States Initiatives, focused on highlighting actions that states can take to address the epidemic of gun violence. State Rep. Ragen Hatcher (D-Gary) was one of only 100 legislators invited to the inaugural event.
In a candid conversation with Capital B Gary, Hatcher discussed her recent visit to the White House, steps for bipartisan gun legislation in a Republican-majority state, and how to reshape her hometown’s narrative.
The Trace estimates that roughly 16,000 people die every year in gun deaths, with most occurring in poor, majority-Black communities in cities that are inundated with guns. Gary, a majority Black city in the predominantly white state of Indiana, is particularly exposed to the state’s firearm-friendly gun laws that grant gun manufacturers immunity from lawsuits and allow permitless carry.
“I’ve said it once, and I will say it again: Enough is enough. I hope that my fellow legislators in Indiana — including those across the aisle — will listen to my pleas for change. The time to act on gun violence is now,” Hatcher said.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Capital B Gary: You recently visited the White House to discuss gun violence prevention. How was it?
Rep. Ragen Hatcher: It was excellent! We had representatives from Florida, Texas, Arizona, just the most conservative states in the country, trying to come up with ideas and brainstorm about how we can work to pass legislation about gun violence, starting with things like safe storage, and making sure that parents are held accountable for the acts of their children, especially when a child is hurt. That was the basic idea: how the White House and this new department under the vice president’s office can help cities in these very conservative states. We fit the bill, of course. Gary and Northwest Indiana is a liberal and Democratic area inside a very red state.
Can you share something you learned during your visit?
One of the most interesting things I learned yesterday at the White House was that the highest rates of gun violence and deaths caused by firearms are all in red states. Those are states with Republican governors, Republican legislators, and Republican attorney generals. They had the highest death rate by guns in those states. It was a lot to learn, and I think there’s just been a lot of fake news making urban areas look worse.
What kind of legislation would you like to see come out of these kinds of discussions?
The ultimate goal is a ban on assault rifles or assault weapons. But in the meantime, starting slow would be safe gun storage laws. And part of the discussion was, how do we get Republicans to understand that I can, as a Democrat, be pro-Second Amendment but also want to have safe gun laws as well? If we have someone with issues like depression or anger or who has tried to hurt others in the past, that might be someone we don’t want to have access to a gun. And so we’re trying to stop the argument that if you try to regulate gun sales or the way your gun is stored, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are anti-Second Amendment.
We also discussed tactics Democrats can use when we don’t have the majority. How can we get Republicans to understand that maybe somebody who has been convicted of domestic violence should not be able to walk into a gun store and purchase a gun? We’ve tried to connect it to a health care issue because the number one killer of children is guns.
So we’re trying to figure out how we can start relating gun violence to other things like domestic violence or hunger issues, the lack of jobs, and lack of economic opportunity, all those things tie into gun violence.
What is your vision for the future of Gary, in terms of the violence in the city? How can we reshape our image?
One of my biggest takeaways was that everybody knows about Gary, Indiana. Whether that be because of the Jackson family or because we were the murder capital of the United States for a couple of years. But they all know Gary. We’ve made our mark in United States history. So, for me, it’s more about changing the narrative. As I said before, I don’t feel unsafe in Gary. When you talk to someone about Gary, they may have a negative response or reaction to it. It’s more about changing the perception than anything else.
To that note, what resources or efforts do you believe are still needed in Gary to help combat this kind of violence more effectively?
One of the things that was a very prominent part of the conversation was how all these other issues have fed into gun violence. So, for example, one city said they started a breakfast and lunch program for all children in their city, and they saw a reduction in gun violence. Another city had education opportunities programs that ensured all kids went to community college for free after graduating high school. That showed a decrease in gun violence in their city. So it’s not necessarily just more police. It’s also making sure programs are in place to keep children and adults out of a criminal lifestyle. The goal is to make sure that the crime that guns are used for isn’t necessary because kids are eating every day, the parents have an opportunity to go to work every day, and those same kids are able to matriculate into some kind of college, whether that be a community college, a four-year traditional college, or a trade school. We have to give people more opportunities. We can’t just police our way out of it.
You mentioned that gun violence has personally affected you. How does it inform your work to help prevent it?
I knew some people who died during the ’90s from gun violence. It made me value life in a way that sometimes others who don’t live in an area like Gary or another urban area may take for granted. And I think that has continued in my role as a prosecutor. It’s not just about punishing people for a crime or dismissing people. It’s more about being there to help them through it and giving them the options or tools they need to be productive in society.
You just flew back from Washington, D.C. What’s your favorite way to wind down at the end of a long week?
That’s funny! Usually, I’m a homebody! I don’t come out unless I have to. By the weekend, all I want to do is curl up with good food and a good movie or a TV show. By 8 o’clock every night, I am down for the evening. I try my best to do that just because it helps me from getting overwhelmed with everything I have going on. So yeah, a good movie, some good food, and I’m happy!