Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, spoke during Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee. Bray testified on House Bill 153, which would prohibit Kentucky law enforcement personnel from enforcing federal firearms bans.
(LRC PUBLIC INFORMATION)
FRANKFORT — The Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Cabinet on Thursday advanced a bill that would prohibit Kentucky law enforcement personnel from enforcing federal firearms bans.
The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, said the House Bill 153 passed out of the House earlier this year.
“The concept behind it’s pretty simple,” Bray said. “It says going forward no state tax dollars or state manpower will be allocated towards the enforcement of federal firearms ban regulations after Jan. 1, 2021.”
The measure passed out of committee on a 7-2 vote, but not before some debate, including two opponents who spoke during a public comment period.
Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, compared gun violence to the opioid crisis and asked why Kentucky wouldn’t take a similar approach to mitigate the problem by reducing the prevalence of guns.
“Why, in this case, when we have a tremendous, extraordinarily costly epidemic of gun violence in this state are you advocating for more guns rather than less? That seems antithetical to what we are doing with the opioid crisis,” she said.
Bray said he doesn’t equate the opioid crisis with gun violence, arguing that the opioid crisis stems from addiction while gun violence results from a lack of respect for human life.
He also pointed to the example of the pistol brace ban to convey his point of view.
“The federal government has …reexamined an existing interpretation to make this firearm accessory illegal,” he said. “Without a single legislative vote cast, they’ve just determined that something that was legal for years is now illegal — just through a (regulation) interpretation.”
Bray added that he’s concerned about people with disabilities and those who want to use firearms for the protection of their families.
The bill now heads to the Senate.