Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad is praising a recently-passed gun bill, predicting that it will help the LMPD curb gun violence.
Senate Bill 210 passed the Kentucky legislature earlier this year, increasing penalties for convicted felons using a handgun to perpetrate a crime. On Wednesday, Conrad said the bill will help police recover more weapons and stop felons from committing crimes.
“One of the most frustrating things I’ll tell you that our officers have out there, is having to arrest the same person over and over and over. Particularly, those people who we know that are out there causing us the most serious problems,” Conrad said. “This law gives prosecutors a way to hold these repeat criminals accountable.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer also praised the bill, promising further investment in the public safety through his proposed budget for LMPD and other public safety agencies.
“We’ve got to work 24/7 and then a little more to keep our streets safe, and also support the brave men and women of LMPD by giving them the tools that they need to do their jobs, protect the streets and get home safe,” Fischer said.
Conrad also said he would support further laws to help remove illegal weapons from the streets. Though Senate Bill 210 passed the 2018 Kentucky General Assembly, a number of other gun-related bills failed.
“This is one of the first times – and I’m so proud of Senator [Dan] Seum for helping us with this bill – one of the first times in a while we’ve been able to see any kind of gun-legislation move forward,” Conrad said. “We are willing to continue to work with our partners, like Senator Seum and other members of the General Assembly, to do everything we can to try to move common-sense gun-legislation forward.”
