- A Republican state lawmaker released a photo of a pistol next to the Pocket Constitution in response to Indiana Republican Governor Eric Holcomb’s mask mandate.
- “What happens if I don’t comply, Governor Eric Holcomb?” State Representative Jim Lucas wrote in his Facebook photo post.
- Other Republican officials, including the state attorney general, also questioned the legality of the executive order, which takes effect on July 27.
- The conservative lawmaker has received criticism of other controversial posts on social media.
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A Republican Indiana state lawmaker released a photo of a .45 caliber pistol Thursday night in response to Governor Eric Holcomb’s mask mandate announced a day earlier.
“Starting Monday, the governor wants to lock me in a cage for 180 days and fine me with $ 1,000 if I don’t wear a mask that doesn’t have published effectiveness standards,” wrote Jim Lucas, who has served in his southern district since 2012, wrote on Facebook. “What happens if I don’t comply, Governor Eric Holcomb?”
The publication of the gun alongside a pamphlet of the Constitution quickly caught the eye, to which Lucas later updated to add: “For those who are disproportionately (again), this image is NOT a threat against anyone!”
“It is an image that I have used countless times over the years that best shows our FREEDOM and our constitutional rights and IS NOT A THREAT,” the publication reads, since then it has not been seen.
Indiana Representative Jim Lucas via Facebook
Holcomb, a Republican, issued the requirement to wear masks as a result of a steady increase in coronavirus cases in the state. On Thursday, Indiana reported its highest one-day peak since the pandemic began, with a total of 954 new cases. The last daily record was on April 26, when 946 people were confirmed positive.
“Facial covers can, and will, help us mitigate this increase. It has done it in other parts of the country, in fact, worldwide,” Holcomb said in a briefing on Wednesday. “This is urgent now.”
Holcomb noted that the order is being implemented to help address the increase before the next school year.
“Like Hoosiers, we have worked very hard to get where we are today,” added the governor. “We want to keep it that way.”
Other Republican officials in the state, including Attorney General Curtis Hill, also criticized the legality of the executive order, which takes effect on July 27 and requires anyone 8 years of age and older to cover their faces in interior public spaces. Violations would result in a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and up to six months in jail.
Lucas said he plans to draft legislation to “rescind this level of power, as one person never intended to have so much power in a constitutional republic,” he shared on Facebook.
It is not the first time that Lucas has come under scrutiny for questionable posts on social media. Earlier this year, the state lawmaker was removed from two committees and demoted after posting a racist meme of black children dancing with the words “Let’s get free money!”
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
