Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - Legislation has been filed in Frankfort that would prohibit individuals convicted of hate crimes from purchasing and possessing firearms.
State Representative Attica Scott filed the legislation earlier this week. With this bill, Kentucky joins Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi in a growing effort to protect historically targeted communities from hate-fueled gun violence.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 23 hate groups operating in Kentucky. The FBI reports that between 2010 and 2016, 72% of Kentucky’s hate crime incidents were related to race ethnicity or ancestry.
Although most hate crimes experienced by U.S. residents are not reported to the police, the FBI’s limited data on hate crimes nonetheless present a disturbing picture of the extent of the problem.
Scott said, “In Louisville, the Police Foundation recently acknowledged that hate crimes are an issue.”
While individuals who are convicted of felony-level hate crimes are barred from gun possession under current law, those who are convicted of misdemeanor level hate crimes in most states—which can include assault and battery, damage to property, and harassment—remain free to buy guns.
Chelsea Parsons, vice president for Guns and Crime Policy at the Center for American Progress, said, “It’s quite simple: if you have been convicted of a hate- or bias-motivated offense, you should not have access to tools of violence.”
