We're Finally on Track to Pass a Gun Law to Protect... the Gun Industry?
On April 6th, 2023, a 25-year-old entered River City Firearms in Louisville, KY. He said he was looking for a firearm for “home defense”. He walked out of the store with an AR-15 style rifle, a vertical grip, a red dot sight, and three large-capacity extended magazines. He demonstrated inexperience, not knowing how to load and operate the weapon, and remarked on the high cost of the weapon, despite purchasing one of the cheapest AR-15 style rifles on the market. Others in the store at the time noted his inexperience and odd behavior.
Four days later, he entered the Old National Bank in Louisville, KY, with his newly purchased gun, shooting five people dead and injuring eight others. One witness from River City told her husband after the shooting, “I bet it was that kid at the store.”
Gun Stores’ Role In Violence Prevention
Gun stores play an important role in preventing gun violence. The most celebrated piece of gun violence prevention legislation of the modern era is the Brady Act, which required background checks at federally licensed gun stores. Without the cooperation of gun dealers to fill out the necessary paperwork and help conduct the background checks, that system couldn’t function.
Gun dealers are the gatekeepers of deadly weapons, and they have an obligation to suss out potential bad actors to prevent violence. Much the same way a bartender has a responsibility to refuse a patron who’s clearly had too much to drink, firearms dealers have a responsibility to deny the sale of a firearm when an individual is acting suspiciously and is showing signs of potential firearm misuse. A lawsuit filed by victims of the Old National Bank shooting aims to hold River City accountable for “negligent entrustment.”
The Kentucky General Assembly Steps in with HB78
In response, members of the Kentucky General Assembly filed HB 78 to protect River City and other gun dealers from accountability. This legislation would expand gun dealers’ liability protection, giving them immunity to civil lawsuits from alleged negligent behavior that results in preventable tragedies, like the shooting at Old National Bank. Additionally, the bill would dismiss the existing lawsuit against River City and allow River City to seek civil action against the victims who initiated the lawsuit.
The result? Instead of allowing a court to determine if River City is liable under the law, the families of the victims will have to pay.
Our legislature is prioritizing the interests of the gun industry over its constituents. Every minute spent protecting the gun industry is a minute spent not deliberating on issues that matter like affordability, healthcare, and public safety. Instead, they are clawing back every last inch of leverage we have to achieve justice in the face of corporate malfeasance. This is not about the 2nd Amendment. This is about corporate power and protecting entrenched interests.
What Comes Next
HB 78 passed out of the House 75 - 17 on March 17th. The bill will now go to the Senate, where it is likely to pass and eventually become law. Unite Kentucky encourages readers to contact their State Senators and tell them to vote NO on HB 78.