Legislation that would allow Kentuckians to carry concealed weapons without a permit or training received final approval in the House on Friday, sending the measure to the governor.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, sponsored the bill, which was carried on the House floor by Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge.
“Currently, law-abiding citizens in Kentucky who are statutorily eligible to possess a firearm, may openly carry one without any permit or training,” she told her colleagues on the House floor. “Essentially it comes down to the difference of wearing an outer garment, such as a jacket or not. Wearing a jacket and concealing a firearm should not create a legal requirement for training. Nor does the Second Amendment allow for the government to assess fees, in order to do so.”
There are several things the bill does not do, she said. “It does not abolish the concealed carry program for people who choose to obtain it for the purpose of reciprocity with states that allow it. It does not authorize persons who are not legally eligible to carry a firearm to do so. It does not infringe upon a business owner’s right to allow or disallow possession of a firearm on their property.”
Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, a retired Kentucky State Police officer, said it comes down to a constitutional right.
“We have a right in this country to own and bear arms,” Blanton said. “The United States Constitutional says that, the Kentucky Constitution says that. The Second Amendment is just as important as the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, as every amendment to our Constitution, it is just as important.”
Blanton also talked about his time with the KSP. “I always approached every vehicle, every person, as if they were armed. That was what we were trained to do.”
Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville, noted law enforcement’s opposition to the bill including Louisville Metro Police Department, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association, and that it was ironic that a couple years ago lawmakers passed a Blue Lives Matter bill.
“We can tell those in blue we really didn’t want to listen to you, you don’t count. Don’t bother to email or text us about this bill because we love our guns, and we will do whatever the NRA says.”
Rep. Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, acknowledged it was a tough issue for everyone, and took a look at the constitutional guarantees.
“The Kentucky Constitution says that we have the right to bear arms, subject to the power of the General Assembly to regulate, with regard to carrying concealed weapons,” Hoover said. “Under the U S. Constitution, it is much broader. The courts have ruled since the inception of this country that states may take a more narrow interpretation of similar constitutional rights.”
He also told the House that because of his dilemma over the bill, he texted his wife, a teacher at Jamestown Elementary who was in the teachers lounge at the time. She did a quick poll and responded, “We don’t think you should vote for it, it’s a bad bill.”
Hoover summed up his thoughts saying, “I just think the optics of us passing this bill as it is under these circumstances is bad.”
The bill passed 60-37.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
