Kentucky could pass commonsense gun legislation that would save lives. Here it is. | Opinion

On April 10, 2023, a mass shooting at Louisville’s Old National Bank left five people dead and eight injured. It was the deadliest mass shooting our city has seen in over 30 years.

Less than a week later, we saw another mass shooting at Chickasaw Park that left two people dead and four injured. All in all, 14 people died in eight days as a result of gun violence around the city.

With over 150 mass shootings nationwide already this year, Louisville isn’t alone in experiencing this epidemic. But mass shootings, as devastating and tragic as they are, reflect only one aspect of gun violence.

Kentucky has the 13th highest gun death rate in the country. Someone is killed with a gun every 11 hours in our Commonwealth. The majority of intimate partner homicides are with guns, and guns are the leading cause of death for our children.

No other country on earth faces gun violence on this scale, and we must treat it like the public health crisis that it is.

As state legislators, we have heard the pleas from our communities, over and over, to do something—anything—to change this trajectory of senseless death.

Here is our response. The following commonsense gun safety legislation would have immediate impact and actually save lives.

▪ EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDERS: These laws have significantly reduced the number of gun deaths due to suicide, mass shootings, and gun homicides. Under legislation already proposed in KY, law enforcement officers can petition a court directly for an extreme risk protection order (ERPO), which temporarily restricts a person’s access to guns if they are found to present an immediate risk of harming themselves or others.

▪ ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE FOR SAFER COMMUNITIES: In late 2019, Congress began funding research on gun violence for the first time in over two decades, allocating $25 million in annual funding to the CDC and the NIH. This statewide office would take all the research, evidence, and data generated by these studies, and combine them with community impact data to inform policies that are effective in preventing gun violence in Kentucky.

▪ REESTABLISH LOCAL CONTROL: In 1984—almost 40 years ago—the legislature enacted a law prohibiting cities, counties, and urban county governments from regulating the possession, transfer, transportation, and ownership of firearms, components, and ammunition. In 2012, this law was expanded to include existing and future local jurisdictions, boards, and commissions from the manufacture, sale, purchase and taxation of ammunition components and firearms accessories as well. Local control must be ceded back to our cities and counties to determine the policies most effective for them.

▪ BACKGROUND CHECKS AT THE POINT OF SALE/TRANSFER: Unlicensed sellers (those who sell guns online, at gun shows, or anywhere else without a federal dealer’s license) can transfer firearms without having to run any background check whatsoever. People subject to domestic violence convictions or court orders, people who have been convicted of violent crimes, and people ineligible to possess firearms for mental health reasons can easily buy guns from unlicensed sellers with no background check. We must expand the requirements for conducting a background check at the point of transfer/sale of any firearm in the Commonwealth.

▪ VOLUNTARY DO NOT SELL LIST: The majority of gun related deaths in the U.S. are suicides. In Kentucky, 63% of gun deaths are suicides. Under this legislation, anyone who believes they could be at risk of attempting suicide can voluntarily and confidentially add their names to the list to prevent themselves from impulsively purchasing a gun.

▪ CHILD ACCESS PREVENTION/SAFE STORAGE: Those who choose to own firearms must learn how to properly use and store their weapons. Between 70-90% of guns used in youth suicides, unintentional shootings among children, and school shootings by shooters under 18 years old are acquired from home or the homes of relatives or friends. Hundreds of thousands of firearms are also stolen from homes, vehicles, and individuals each year, funneling guns into an underground market where they are sold to people who use them to commit violent crimes. Preventing kids from accessing guns can reduce suicide and unintentional gun deaths and injuries among children and teens by up to 54%, with the greatest reductions occurring in states which also require safe storage of firearms.

Responsible gun ownership is something we can all agree on. Keeping guns out of the hands of kids is something we can all agree on. Using data and evidence to enact effective policies to keep our communities safe is something we can all agree on.

Kentucky has an opportunity right now to become a leader when it comes to reducing gun violence through considered and deliberate policy, instead of becoming another tragic footnote.

This piece was also signed by Louisville’s Democratic legislators: Rep. Tina Bojanowski, Sen. Karen Berg, Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton, Rep. Al Gentry, Rep. Daniel Grossberg, Sen. Denise Harper Angel, Rep. Keturah Herron, Sen. Gerald Neal, Rep. Josie Raymond, Rep. Rachel Roarx, Rep. Sarah Stalker Rep. Pamela Stevenson, Rep. Lisa Willner and Sen. David Yates.