Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence grew out of a tragedy in 1992, when a young couple were shot dead in their living room by their teenage son, who had purchased the murder weapon at Don’s Guns in Indianapolis.  Members of their church and the IPS school where the father was principal, including several high school students, organized a protest at the gun store and then formed a group to advocate for stricter regulations on guns.  This group eventually evolved into a broad state-wide membership organization named Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence. 

HCGV was incorporated in 1997, and in 2001 acquired federal 501c3 status as a non-profit.  It is the oldest gun-violence prevention organization in the state of Indiana.