Former Louisville Metro Councilwoman and state Representative-elect Attica Scott said Kentucky needs to do more to combat gun violence in the wake of the Orlando shootings at a gay nightclub that killed 49 people.
Scott called for having gun owners register their guns, increasing the $60 application fee for concealed carriers and banning assault weapons like the one used in the Orlando shooting.
“That is not something that somebody should be able to purchase and use here in the state of Kentucky,” Scott said. “It’s unnecessary. Absolutely unnecessary. We should have a ban on certain types of guns.”
Scott recently won the Democratic primary for the 41st House District in West Louisville, defeating 35-year incumbent Rep. Tom Riner. She has no challenger in the general election.
Scott previously served for three years on Louisville Metro Council. The city is currently experiencing a spike in gun violence, with shootings up about 40 percent compared to this time in 2015.
During an interview on Wednesday, she called for allowing local governments to pass stricter gun control legislation.
“We need to allow Jefferson County, for example, to have a stricter gun law if that’s what we deem is necessary in our county that has already had over 100 incidences of gun violence in our city,” Scott said.
Local governments in Kentucky are currently barred from passing laws that regulate guns or gun accessories due to a state law passed in 2012.
National figures are currently engaged in a debate over whether to forbid people on the FBI terrorist watch list from buying a gun and whether to expand background checks to include purchases made at gun shows and online.
A 2013 Bluegrass Poll showed that 75 percent of Kentucky voters support background checks on all gun buyers, even for sales between private buyers.
Scott said that lawmakers who refuse to support stronger gun control legislation are “failing Kentucky.”
“They are sending a strong message to every single one of us that they really do not care about our safety,” she said.
Scott said she will propose gun control legislation during her first term as a legislator, but said she first wants to meet with lawmakers who have previously worked on gun control issues to avoid "stepping on toes."