LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Advocacy groups in Louisville are calling for action around gun reform after four people were killed in a mass shooting at a downtown bank on Monday morning.
A gunman walked into Old National Bank and, according to witnesses, opened fire into a conference room full of people.
Officials said 8 were injured, including two Louisville Metro Police officers.
Police say the shooter is dead. It is unclear whether he was shot and killed by officers or killed himself.
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, one of the largest gun violence prevention organizations in the United States, said Americans are fed up with how many shootings occur in the country.
“As we still reel from a mass shooting in Nashville, we’re forced to confront another mass shooting in Louisville as the drumbeat of gun violence continues across the country,” Feinblatt said. “Americans are fed up with the status quo of shooting after shooting, and are demanding lawmakers at every level of government take action to stop this senseless violence.”
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots organization of Americans fighting for gun reform. The advocacy group's founder, Shannon Watts, says lawmakers must step in.
“Our hearts are with all those impacted in this horrific mass shooting and the entire Louisville community,” Watts said. “Unfortunately when we allow guns everywhere, for anyone with no questions asked, nowhere is safe from this gun violence epidemic. We cannot and will not accept this reality. Our lawmakers must take action to keep us safe.”
Kentucky has some of the weakest gun laws and the 14th highest rate of gun-related deaths in the country, according to an Everytown for Gun Safety press release.
Last month, the state legislature passed a bill that would make Kentucky a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State,” nullifying the enforcement of any federal firearm ban.
Connie Coartney, a volunteer with the Kentucky chapter of Moms Demand Action, says their hearts go out to members of the Louisville community affected by yet another senseless act of gun violence.
“We can’t keep accepting this as normal: news of another mass shooting breaking while we’re still mourning the lives taken in another,” Coartney said. "While we grieve for those killed or wounded today, we know that thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. We will continue to demand our lawmakers meet this tragic moment with the urgency and action it requires.”
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