Victory for Gun Sense: Kentucky Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Defeat of Dangerous Gun Bills This Session
4.16.2018
FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, marked the recent end of Kentucky’s state legislative session by applauding the defeat of HB 210, HB 554, HB 36 and SB 103. These dangerous bills would have threatened the public’s safety. The close of the legislative session marked the defeat of these proposals for the second year in a row:
- Guns on college campuses (HB 210) would have forced Kentucky public colleges and universities to allow guns on campuses. This would have created new dangers and huge costs for colleges and was widely opposed by school safety experts. It also would have forced guns into sensitive public places such as courthouses and community centers.
- Guns in schools (SB 103 and HB 554) would have created a new exception to the law barring guns in K-12 schools. These dangerous bills would have allowed teachers and other members of school staff to carry guns in elementary, middle and high schools, doubling as armed guards.
- Permitless carry (HB 36) would have allowed untrained, unlicensed people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public with no background check and no safety training. This dangerous bill would have dismantled Kentucky’s concealed carry permit system, making it easier for criminals and others with dangerous histories to carry hidden, loaded guns in public and harder for law enforcement to keep us safe.
STATEMENT FROM CONNIE COARTNEY, VOLUNTEER LEADER WITH THE KENTUCKY CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“I am so proud of my fellow Moms Demand Action volunteers and all the concerned residents of the Bluegrass state who made their voices heard in opposition to these reckless gun bills. Time and time again constituents quickly mobilized to remind public officials to keep guns out of our schools and not to dismantle our concealed carry permit system. We applaud lawmakers for ultimately choosing to keep our children and communities safe.”
This legislative session, the Kentucky chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America supported lawmakers and law enforcement officials in their successful effort to defeat these dangerous bills by:
- Organizing an advocacy day with gun violence survivors, including school shooting survivors, and law enforcement officials to remind lawmakers of the urgent need to oppose these bills
- Driving thousands of calls and digital messages to lawmakers urging them to oppose these risky bills
- Launching new groups throughout the state in the aftermath of the Marshall County and Parkland shootings, including in Paducah, the town once devastated by a tragic high school shooting.