A local candidate for a Statehouse seat received threats after a special interest group distributed a mailer with her phone number and some false claims about her stance on the issue, she said Wednesday.
Angela Elliott, the Democratic candidate for State Representative District 93, filed a police report Tuesday about the harassment, including threats, she received after the Hoosier Gun Rights mailer went out.
A letter that made similar claims was also sent to voters in the district, which covers the southside of Indianapolis and a portion of White River Township in Johnson County, by John Jacob, her Republican opponent who is endorsed by Hoosier Gun Rights.
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The letter, distributed by Jacob’s campaign and signed by him, did not include Elliott’s phone number.
The report, filed with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, mentions Jacob’s letter and the mailer.
Elliott, a White River Township resident, has been harassed and threatened by phone and on social media, with one person stating “she’s going to meet my barrel,” referring to the barrel of his firearm, she said.
In response to the threats, Sheriff Duane Burgess authorized extra patrols around Elliott’s home, something he would do for any resident receiving threats, he said.
Burgess does not know of any other local candidates for public office receiving threats like this since he took office in 2018, he said. The only other reports his office has received of election-related criminal activity are stolen political signs, he said.
The mailer, which was sent to households in District 93, says Elliott is a “radical” in favor of “California-style” gun legislation that would ban “commonly-owned firearms used for hunting and recreational shooting sports.” The mailer also claims she supports a “universal gun registration scheme.”
Elliott says most of the claims are false and she doesn’t understand why she is being targeted. Gun legislation would not be a priority of hers if elected, and she has not said much about guns during her campaign, she said.
Jacob, whose second-highest priority if elected is drafting and passing constitutional carry laws, claims in his letter sent to District 93 voters that Elliott is an “anti-gun radical” who wants to “restrict the rights of honest Americans.” Jacob further claims Elliott will “do everything in her power to trample your right to bear arms.” The letter further suggests Elliott would attempt to make guns illegal.
Elliot’s only public comments on guns were made in response to a question from the League of Women Voters’ Vote411 questionnaire, in which she told the League: “I support the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens to own firearms and I support common-sense regulation of firearms, like registration and background checks.”
Elliott, who was raised around guns and has hunted with her father, said she does not support a ban on hunting or recreational firearms.
“When it is not scary, it is laughable. People who know me — my family and my father — are like ‘seriously?’” Elliott said.
Whether she would support gun legislation depends on the language of the bill, she said.
Elliott does support the Red Flag law, also known as the Jake Laird law, but that is all the mailer gets right. Red Flag allows law enforcement to take guns from people who have been deemed a violent threat to society.
“Our mailers simply encouraged folks to contact her and urge her to support their right to keep and bear arms.” said Brenden Boudreau, Hoosier Gun Rights executive director.
The organization was within its rights to include Elliott’s phone number because it is the same number included in her candidate filing documents, which are public record, he said.
Boudreau did not respond to follow-up questions regarding the content of the mailer.
Jacob’s campaign had no input on the mailer and did not coordinate with the group, Jacob said.
Jacob condemned making threats against Elliott.
“I am 100% pro-life. I would denounce in the strongest terms the threats against Angela,” Jacob said.
However, Jacob said the criticisms lodged by his campaign and Hoosier Gun Rights are valid because she is endorsed by Moms Demand Action.
“It is a fact. She is endorsed by an anti-gun group. Moms Demand Action is a radical anti-gun group,” Jacob said.
Moms Demand Action is described on its website as “a movement of moms, dads, students, families, concerned citizens and survivors working together with our partners in the gun violence prevention movement to end this uniquely American crisis.”
The group’s policy platform does not include universal registration of guns, criminalization of guns or a ban on firearms used for hunting.
The Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate endorsement was given to Elliott and 4,469 others running for state and national offices, according to the organization. The endorsement means that candidates will stand for gun safety, advocate for safer communities and support stronger gun laws.
Elliott said the threats and false claims are akin to bully tactics.
“This is discouraging democracy,” she said.
