Mayor Joe Hogsett's week at the gun show

• Then he did it again Wednesday.

Why it matters: It was gun week on the council and Hogsett's speeches underscored the importance he's placing on new proposals to keep violent criminals incarcerated and push back on the Indiana General Assembly's pro-gun laws.

Between the lines: The Hogsett campaign for months has been trying to draw Republican candidate Jefferson Shreve into a debate over guns — with little success.

• The upcoming mayoral election is an unavoidable backdrop for everything Hogsett does between now and November.

The intrigue: Hogsett's fellow Democrat, Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears, became collateral damage Tuesday as the Administration and Finance Committee debated the mayor's plan to hire three criminal attorneys to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.

• Hogsett and council Democrats say the plan is all about routing more defendants through federal courts, where they could be detained in other states while awaiting trial instead of reappearing on Indianapolis streets.

What they're saying: "Where's the prosecutor at? Why is he not here?" Republican minority leader Brian Mowery asked, as council Republicans praised and voted for Hogsett's plan to hire prosecutors, arguing it was necessary because Mears has failed.

The other side: A spokesperson for Mears tells Axios the "prosecutor was not consulted regarding the public safety proposals," while also noting the office has won 26 of 27 murder trials this year "despite the challenges the agency faces both budgetarily and otherwise."

My take: No matter how many times council Democrats say the city's plan to hire criminal prosecutors has nothing to do with Mears — and they repeated it often — the Hogsett administration had to know the move would be viewed as an implicit criticism of the county prosecutor.

The big picture: Hogsett is embracing aggressive, sometimes messy, political tactics that his office avoided for nearly two full terms.

• He's picking fights with state lawmakers to pass an ordinance that would ban the sale of assault-style rifles, raise the minimum purchase age for firearms from 18 to 21, and end permitless carry and concealed carry of handguns in Marion County — even though state law doesn't permit the city to enforce those measures.
• Hogsett on Thursday celebrated the first "gun-free zone," a provocatively worded designation the city is offering to private events leasing public property, at the WonderRoad Music Festival at Garfield Park.

• Last month, the mayor pushed through a plan for the city to finance a hotel next to the Indiana Convention Center, perhaps his greatest risk so far as mayor.

Of note: Shreve, a former member of the City-County Council, addressed a council committee last month to oppose Hogsett's financing package, perhaps setting a precedent Hogsett felt inclined to follow as the candidates campaign like ships passing in the night.

Threat level: Hogsett ended his two days in the council chambers with a dramatic exclamation mark, saying he has received personal threats over his proposed gun restrictions.

• "I won't be threatened into turning my back on Indianapolis residents. I am not backing down," Hogsett thundered, before turning and exiting.

What's next: The council passed Hogsett's prosecutor and gun proposals out of committee and is scheduled to vote on final passage July 10.

The bottom line: Hogsett is pursuing causes he's always believed in — while abandoning the discretion that often constrained him.

Market Street is a regular column about local politics and power. Send me tips: [email protected].