On Wednesday, two people were shot and killed at a Kroger grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The accused shooter has a dangerous history of red flags, including several domestic violence convictions, untreated mental illness and racist comments and threats. These warning signs indicate the shooter should not have been able to possess firearms. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.
Under current Kentucky law, abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence are not prohibited from having firearms or required to surrender their firearms. This loophole makes it easy for dangerous domestic abusers to access guns, making communities less safe. This past year ten states passed gun safety laws strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors and their families; five of those were signed by Republican governors.
Americans should feel safe in churches, schools and grocery stores without the fear of gun violence. If lawmakers in Frankfurt are truly concerned about preventing future horrific acts of gun violence they need to pass serious gun safety legislation next session starting with protecting women and children from abusers armed with a gun. Enough is enough.
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