Phillip M. Bailey

@phillipmbailey

Anti-violence activist Eddie Woods has been pleading with Louisville leaders for years to do something about the saturation of guns and ammunition on the city's streets.

"We need all the help we can get right now," said Woods, who leads Pivot 2 Peace, a multi-agency program that aims to interrupt cycles of violence.

On many nights, Woods' team goes into neighborhoods where teens and young adults are well-armed but sometimes without the proper ammunition. When he approached city leaders a few years ago about drafting an ordinance to better track bullets, Woods said it was frustrating to learn that state law prohibited the city from regulating firearms.

That's why Woods hopes city leaders and others put action to words now that a band of Democratic lawmakers has filed state legislation that would make Louisville the only local government in the state that could regulate firearms.

"Given what people know about our murder rate last year and the potential for it to climb even higher than that, it might give it a chance to pass and surpass a lot of that Louisville hatred" in the rest of the state, Woods said.

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Under House Bill 101, which was filed by state Rep. Darryl Owens of Louisville, a "consolidated local government" would have authority to regulate the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer, ownership, possession, carrying, storage and transportation of firearms and ammunition. Louisville Metro is the only "consolidated local government" under state law, according to the Kentucky League of Cities.

According to the bill, the Metro Council could create rules regulating firearms that would include all suburban cities within Louisville's borders. Those smaller jurisdictions would be prohibited from pre-empting the firearm regulations, the measure says.

The bill comes on the heels of a record-breaking 124 criminal homicides citywide last year, far surpassing the previous citywide recorded high of 110 slayings in 1971. In addition, Louisville Metro Police statistics showed a 40 percent increase in shootings compared to 2015.

Of the 497 shooting victims last year, police data show 100 were fatal; 39 percent were 18-25 years old; 70 percent were men; and 76 percent were African-American.

"It's an obvious disparity in Louisville," Owens said. "The fact that we've had an extraordinary number of killings as a result of guns in the street over the last year is reason enough for this bill."

Mayor Greg Fischer called for state legislation that would allow cities to pass gun-control measures last year, saying Louisville should "have the right locally to implement our own gun safety laws that the citizens of our cities and counties want." Fischer spokesman Chris Poynter said Thursday that the administration supports giving local governments additional tools to ensure public safety.

Republican Metro Councilwoman Marilyn Parker said Louisville policymakers need to focus on the root causes of violence such as gangs and drugs rather than regulating firearms. She also said it doesn't make much sense to give the council that authority given that neighboring communities would be exempt.

"I would not support anything that singles out Jefferson County because no other county around us is going to have the same type of gun control or ban," said Parker, whose district encompasses eastern Louisville areas such as Hurstbourne, Jeffersontown and Lyndon. "We see that with the fireworks ban that we have, people set up shop right outside of Jefferson County to sell explosives. It makes it seem like you're doing something, but there are no positive effects."

Critics and supporters of the measure acknowledge it has a slim chance in the legislature, which was considered a staunchly pro-gun state before the GOP obtained supermajorities in both chambers. And Gov. Matt Bevin, who is from Louisville, said recently that the city's uptick in violence is a sign of a cultural, spiritual and economic problem that gun restrictions won't fix.

State Rep. Michael Meredith, chairman of the Local Government Committee, where HB 101 has been assigned, said in an interview Thursday that he isn't sure if the proposal will even receive a hearing. The Brownsville Republican added the legislation being Louisville-specific won't give it a better chance in most lawmakers' eyes.

"That's something we'll have to talk to leadership about and committee members about before deciding on what pathway to take," Meredith said. "It's a statewide issue."

More than three decades ago the state passed a law invalidating a Louisville ordinance that required a 24-hour waiting period for handgun purchases. Over the years, legislators have further eroded the city's ability to regulate firearms, including a 2012 law that bars Louisville from prohibiting guns in city-operated buildings.

Owens said his legislation — which is being co-sponsored by fellow Louisville Democrats Tom Burch, Jodi Jenkins, Reginald Meeks, Attica Scott and Jim Wayne — would override state law that blocks Louisville from enacting gun control. He said, "There's always a reason not to do something, but we know a significant number of people are injured and killed each year by guns."

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Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at (502) 582-4475 or pbailey@courier-journal.com