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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION directing the Legislative Research Commission 1
to study gun violence in the Commonwealth. 2
WHEREAS, gun violence is an epidemic plaguing every state in the country; and 3
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States passed the Bipartisan Safer 4
Communities Act in 2022 in an effort to reduce gun crime; and 5
WHEREAS, both Democrats and Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader 6
Mitch McConnell, supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, demonstrating that 7
gun violence prevention is an area where legislators can reach a bipartisan consensus; and 8
WHEREAS, Kentucky has one of the nation's highest rates of gun violence; and 9
WHEREAS, the rate of gun deaths in Kentucky has increased 38 percent from 2013 10
to 2022, with an average of 826 Kentuckians dying from gun violence every year; and 11
WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that gun violence is a serious 12
problem in Kentucky, as evidenced by the passage of House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 20 13
during the 2024 Regular Session; and 14
WHEREAS, the General Assembly has a sacred obligation to ensure that citizens of 15
the Commonwealth can live peacefully and freely, which includes the freedom to live 16
without fear of gun violence; and 17
WHEREAS, the General Assembly can accomplish that goal without interfering 18
with the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms; 19
NOW, THEREFORE, 20
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 21
Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein: 22
Section 1. The staff of the Legislative Research Commission is directed to 23
study the causes of gun violence and ways to prevent gun violence in the Commonwealth 24
of Kentucky. 25
Section 2. The study shall include but not be limited to an analysis of: 26
(1) Data on both fatal and nonfatal gun-related incidents in Kentucky; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1934
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(2) Data on the impact of gun violence on the Medicaid budget; 1
(3) Legislative action taken by other states and the federal government regarding 2
the causes and costs of gun violence; 3
(4) Existing laws in the Commonwealth that address the issue of gun violence and 4
their effectiveness; and 5
(5) Existing resources to prevent gun violence. 6
Section 3. (1) Staff shall prepare a report of the completed study that shall 7
include but not be limited to a: 8
(a) Description of the causes and contributing factors to gun violence in the 9
Commonwealth; 10
(b) Detailed analysis of the data listed in Section 2 of this Resolution; 11
(c) Discussion of any data in Section 2 of this Resolution that is not available for 12
analysis; and 13
(d) Discussion of any policy options to reduce the rate of gun violence. 14
(2) The report shall be submitted to the Legislative Research Commission for 15
referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary and the Interim Joint Committee on 16
Health Services no later than December 1, 2025. 17
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 18
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 19
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 20
designate a study completion date. 21