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This storyis by the Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. More of Kentucky Lanterns work can be found at https://kentuckylantern.com.Follow them onFacebookandTwitter.

This story mentions suicide and gun violence. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

LOUISVILLE Nearly 100 Kentuckians have died from gunfire so far this year and some lawmakers thinka public health approachis the best way to halt the violence.

As of May 6,national nonprofit Gun Violence Archiveshowed Kentucky had 261 shootings in which 88 people died and 191 others were injured. (COVID-19killed 354 Kentuckiansthis year as of May 4, state data shows).

In response to the gun violence, 16 Kentucky Democratic lawmakers proposed six policies that they believe could help.

The policies include red flag laws, legal responsibility to safely store a weapon, voluntary do not sell lists for suicidal individuals and more. They hope to bring forward legislation to match the policies next session.

Seven people died in twomass shootingsin a single week in Louisville, which movedgun violence to center stagefor many Kentuckians.

Rep. Nima Kulkarni (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd)

Mass shootings have a particular hold on our community, because often theyre at public locations, said Rep.Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville. I think its just a question of how it impacts the community, how it publicly impacts the community and provides an opportunity, in essence, for the community to come together in grief and in discussing the impact.

It also matters who the victims are, fellow Louisville Democrat Rep. Keturah Herron said.

Mostly the victims of gun violence (in Louisville) have been young Black men and boys, teenagers, Herron said. When you look at what happened at Old National Bank, it just hit a larger number of people and it hit individuals who normally arent impacted.

TheKaiser Family Foundation reported in 2020that white Kentuckians died by gunfire at a rate of 17.4 per 100,000 while that number was 47.6 for Black Kentuckians.

Overall, Kentucky had a higherrateof death by gunfire (20.1 per 100,000) than the nation (13.6 per 100,000).

The public pays attention to a mass shooting in a different way, said Rep.Lisa Willner, D-Louisville. And so its not that its inherently more tragic than any other kind of a loss to gun violence, but that while the community is paying attention, maybe we can actually move some of these initiatives that have been on the books for a while. It may be theres more of a public outcry and really a demand for for those of us in Frankfort to do something.

Rep. Lisa Willner

Among those calling on leadership to act is UoL Health chief medical officer and trauma surgeon Dr. Jason Smith.

Smith went viral after he pleaded with lawmakers to do something about gun violence following the Old National Bank shooting.

In Washington D.C. in late April, Smith joined the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force alongside Congressman Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, and others.

Smith has repeatedly said that while the mass shooting was traumatic, he sees many shootings outside of mass tragedies.

Two weeks ago today I became the most recent addition to a horrible but growing cadre of surgeons nurses across this country that have had to respond to a mass shooting, Smith said.

Each shooting is a horrible and tragic event, he added. And its also one I see every single day in my hospital.

Since Louisvilles mass shooting at the bank, hes urged lawmakers to work together on solutions.

In addition to the toll deaths take, treating nonfatal gunshots is expensive.

TheU.S. Government Accountability Officereported in 2021 that treating gunshot wounds costs about$1 billion a year, according to 2016 and 2017 data.

The American Public Health Association says around 85,000 people are injured by guns every year and more than 38,000 people are killed.

UofL Health chief medical officer Dr. Jason Smith asked for lawmakers to do something about gun violence. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd)

Gun violence, the APHA says, is a major public health problemand a leading cause of premature death.

Smith said that while he responded to the bank mass shooting, two other unrelated shooting victims came into the hospital for his help. Between the mass shootings that book-ended that week in early April, he treated 18 other gunshot wounds.

I dont know the solutions. Im a doctor. My job is to put bodies back together after these tragedies, Smith said in D.C. this week. I cant heal the scars of the community. I cant heal the spirit that is broken when this happens and I cannot bring back the losses that we suffer. But I can pray and ask all of you, no matter what side of this issue you are on, to step forward and begin to dialogue

The 16 Democrat representatives and senators want to see the following policies enacted in Kentucky:

The lawmakers who signed onto these ideas are:

Rep. Keturah Herron (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd).

Herron said the state needs to approach work on gun violence in much the same way as tobacco and COVID-19.

Especially as far as suicides that were seeing in community, what does it look like to have some type of public health campaign, whether itsPSAsor bulletin boards, or things at bus stops to help inform people what they can do, what are solutions other than taking their own lives, or other than using a gun, she said.

Several Republican lawmakers, including legislative leaders, declined to speak with the Lantern about the proposed Democratic policies. For decades, the trend in Kentuckys legislature has been to loosen gun laws and regulations.

Republicans vying to be the next governor expressed opposition to gun control measures during the candidate debate on KET. Several, however, said its important to have conversations about mental health.

Candidate Kelly Craft told moderator Renee Shaw that Im not touching the Second Amendment and due process.

We need to make certain that we follow the rules that are currently written, said Craft. And we have to open the conversation of mental health, of mental illness.

Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles agreed, saying we need to shift the focus to mental health.

Fox News publishedpoll resultsin late April that showed Americans support gun control measures: 87% of voters surveyed supported background checks for guns; 81% want enforcement of current gun laws; 81% want people to have to be 21 years old to buy any gun; 80% want required mental health checks; 80% want people at risk to themselves to be flagged as so; and 77% favored a waiting period when purchasing firearms.

Among Republican voters, Fox also found,36% want to ban assaultweapons; 61% want more citizens to carry guns.

The Pew Research Center reported in April that themajority of gun-related deaths are suicides.

PSAs and other education can be help address community violence, Herron said, and how folks talk about trauma and healing. That starts with data collection on gun violence in all 120 counties, she said.

I dont think that theres just one solution, she said. I think that theres going to be multiple solutions. But I think that if we leave out this public health component, I dont think that any piece of legislation we pass is going to be beneficial.

Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, said its important to create stable environments for communities as well.

There are things we can do to respect peoples rights to own a gun, she said, But to have common sense laws to help protect people just like you would with anything.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, left, speaks to reporters with his wife, Makenze, after the KET debate. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

Candidate Quarles also said on KET that he believes there is a need for more gun safety training, but said the issue of lockboxes for guns falls under personal decision for families.

Candidate Alan Keck said keeping murder weapons from reuse is a potential olive branch. Kentucky law now requires that firearms confiscated by police be sold at public auction.

I think its insane, said Keck, that those are being sold to the highest bidderThat should not be a showpiece.Its a murder weapon and I cant imagine that grieving family knowing that that gun is going to somebody elses mantle.

Frontrunner Daniel Cameron said he wont support any kind of gun control.

The Second Amendment, he said, is sacrosanct. we need to make sure that we protect it for Kentuckians all across the Commonwealth.

Christopher 2X advocates against violence in Louisville. He said the recent mass shooting was (a stark) reminder to me that theres still this appetite to engage in reckless gunplay, whether that becomes just regular neighborhood shootings, domestic violence issues that lead to those kinds of tragedies or that mass shooting.

Its just a reminder how the appetite is still alive and well, he said.

2X runs a nonprofit called Game Changers that, through a variety of programs, promotes early childhood education, parental involvement, mentoring, and community involvement to positively transform the lives of children and young people, end violence long term, and make communities safer in the Louisville area,per its website.

Christopher 2X advocates against violence in Louisville

Theres no one answer to ending gun violence, he said. Its going to take a lot of people and organizations working together.

I dont really form an opinion on are more restrictive gun laws going to change anything in this city or any city across the United States and specifically in the state of Kentucky? he said. I dont know the answer to that. But at the end of the day, it takes a combination of things.

A lot of the solution goes back to ensuring kids can have healthier childhoods, 2X said, and stop seeing gun violence as an attractive route.

The governor has the power to call a special session in Kentucky before the regular session next January.

Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville. (Photo by LRC Public Information)

Kulkarni, Herron, Stalker and Willner said there could be benefits to a special session to address gun violence.

But: they dont want to see important legislation rushed.

Theres an argument there for that being a catalyst to come up with something that can be agreed upon and act on it, said Kulkarni. But theres also this danger of doing things not as deliberately and methodically and with all of the angles considered. That is also a danger if there is a rush to a special session.

Assuming there is no special session, in the roughly eight months until the next regular session, Kulkarni said, it is incumbent on us as state lawmakers to keep focus and attention on the issue.

Kulkarni said she looks at the policies suggested as a good meeting ground for both Democrats and Republicans, calling the measures common sense.

I think that theres also a group of folks on the other side, Herron said, who are not trying to make it political and want to get things done.

Working together is what it will take, UofLs Dr. Smith said in D.C. in April.

This is not a they problem. There is no they in this. This is an us problem, Smith said. Every community is going to be impacted by gun violence. I pray and hope it is not yours. But the simple statistics will tell you: it will be.

First responders gathered the morning of April 10 in downtown Louisville near the scene of a mass shooting at Old National Bank near Slugger Field. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)

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Some Kentucky Lawmakers Want To Tackle Gun Violence Through ... - Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO Weekly)