LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Across the country people are recognizing a solemn day - National Gun Violence Awareness.
In Louisville, Moms Demand Action, gun violence survivors and Mayor Craig Greenberg all spoke on the issue in front of Metro Hall.
Krista Gwynn lost her son, Christian, to gun violence in 2019, and her daughter almost suffered the same fate a year and a half later. She survived the shooting, but her best friend didn’t.
Gwynn says her daughter still has deep mental scars.
“We should not be burying our future," Gwynn said. “Our children should not be scared to sit out on the porch and enjoy a day. We should not duck and hide when a car drives by and it's a loud pop, but we do and that's a shame.”
Gwynn also emphasized the need for community members to work with police in order to solve violent crime.
"We cannot expect the police to show up and know what's going on. We have to show up and tell them what's going on in our community," Gwynn said. "Give them the homework they need to solve the crimes to get our neighborhood, our schools, and our parks safe again."
More than 20 years prior, a mass shooting left a Kentucky town shaken.
Hollan Holm, a survivor of the 1997 shooting at Heath High School in Paducah, also aired frustrations about seeing the same violence decades later.
“This is not inevitable or something we should accept as normal,” Holm said. “We can stop mass shootings like the one that tragically killed, wounded, and traumatized Louisvillians in April. We can stop school children in this city from having to go on lockdown in their classrooms because of a mass murderer at the bank down the street.”
Louisville has seen more than 180 non-fatal shootings this year; that's up from 161 this time last year. Louisville Metro Police have responded to 73 homicides this year.
“We're just tired of the fear and the losses, and the excuses for why we can't do more,” Mayor Greenberg (D - Louisville) said.
He’s made gun reform a top priority in his 6-month tenure.
Greenberg, a survivor of gun violence himself, said he’s having ongoing conversations with Republican lawmakers in Frankfort.
He said his two main asks right now are giving Louisville autonomy to create its own gun laws and preventing the auction of guns used in crime.
Republican State Representative Jason Nemes (R – 33) said the talks have been about a multi-faceted approach to violence prevention in general.
“If we're going to have a serious impact on violence in Louisville, which I think everybody wants to do, then we’re going to have to have a serious conversation, and just talking about guns is not a serious conversation.”
Nemes said he and other GOP lawmakers are speaking with Louisville leaders about the city’s gang violence, mental health services, and culture of violence among young people, among other things.
“Why are we not parenting them better? Why are we not holding them accountable? You know, those types of things are questions that need to be answered as well,” Nemes said. “It’d be great if the answer was, ‘Oh, yeah, let's just change the gun laws and everything's great,' but that's not realistic.”
However, Greenberg said his administration is addressing underlying causes of crime, including poverty, houselessness, education and workforce development.
“These are all important parts of the solution,” Greenberg said. “These will all save lives in the long run, but let's be clear about something else. As important as this is for the long-term solution, if we don't talk about guns, we are kidding ourselves.”
Nemes said lawmakers are keeping the discussions under wraps for now.
As for the possibility of a red flag law, which would prevent people deemed a danger to themselves or others from purchasing guns, Nemes said he doesn’t see that having much support in the Republican-dominated legislature.
However, he can see a broadening of a Kentucky law that allows for involuntary commitments for people having mental health episodes.
Personally, Nemes said he wouldn’t support Jefferson County having autonomy over its own gun laws because he represents a portion of the county he says doesn’t have a gun violence issue.
“My mind is open to considering more, listening to more, but I just don't think it's a possibility,” Nemes said.
Friday night, the Big 4 Bridge will light up orange in recognition of National Gun Violence Prevention Day.
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