Permit-less carry bill moves through Kentucky Senate

FRANKFORT, KY (WAVE) - A member of the National Rifle Association sat next to a Kentucky Senator as both asked for an ease on concealed carry requirements in the state Thursday.

A committee passed Senate Bill 150 during an 8:30 a.m. meeting.

The legislation was then quickly moved to floor for a vote. It passed 29-8.

No groups signed up to speak against the legislation during the committee meeting, but members of Mothers Demand Action were in the crowd watching.

A sponsor of Senate Bill 150, Senator Brandon Smith, said it would allow concealed carry without a license for people 21 and over.

Smith said it wouldn’t change who is allowed to carry weapons, adding those with a criminal record would still be subject to current rules.

He also said the bill won’t change where people can bring guns either.

One member of the committee did vote against the bill saying that training requirements for gun owners was valuable, and that, as the bill is written, removing permitting also meant doing away with that.

NRA Representative Art Thomm said it decriminalized clothing by allowing people to put on a jacket over their weapon instead of holstering it in a way visible to the public.

“This bill, essentially in its most simplistic explanation, just decriminalizes wearing a coat,” Thomm said.

The group Moms Demand action released a statement in response to the bills passage.

“This vote is absolutely shameful,” Connie Coartney, volunteer leader with the Kentucky chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said. “Today marks one year since the tragic Parkland high school mass shooting, making this vote even more of a disgrace. Instead of focusing on common-sense gun legislation that will keep us safe, our lawmakers voted to do away with a system that keeps dangerous, violent criminals from carrying hidden, loaded guns in our state. This reckless policy would put all our families at risk. We urge the House to do better than their Senate colleagues and vote down this dangerous piece of legislation.”

Copyright 2019 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.