The Goldenrod's Legislative Superlatives, February 14-18

This week, harm reduction centers, prevailing wage law and an attempt to make coal the official state rock of Kentucky.

It’s time for this week’s installment of The Goldenrod’s legislative superlatives, which will run each Friday for paid subscribers only through the end of session. Have a friend who would enjoy these not-so-prestigious accolades? Encourage them to sign up or give a gift subscription:

Have a suggestion for next week? Drop it in the comments below! (Also, this is a “no fly” zone when it comes to talking about the personal airplane tax hoopla this week—far too much ink has been spilled about that bill already when there are so many others worth discussing. Whew.)

Most Likely To Miss The Point: House Bill 507
Whether you live in rural Kentucky, the suburbs or a more “metropolitan” city center, it’s impossible to ignore that gun violence is on the rise everywhere across the state. Firearm laws have been loosened left and right over the past few years, even as the number of gun-related deaths has (heartbreakingly) climbed. You can open carry a gun! You can (mostly) conceal carry a gun or other deadly weapon! You don’t need a permit for either one! Between 2014-2022, 42 children and 122 teens were killed by firearms in Kentucky, with “accidental” shootings making up 342 confirmed cases (and who knows how many have gone unreported). We need our state legislature to take some decisive action!

Instead of decisive action, Rep. Lisa Willner from Louisville introduced a piece of head-scratching legislation this week that’s equivalent to a purity ring for not owning a gun—and makes about as much sense. It is called (deep breath) the Kentucky Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms List.

Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. Under the guidance of the Kentucky State Police, individuals ages 18+ can sign up to voluntarily ban themselves from possessing, transporting or buying a firearm. But wait, there’s more! People who have opted to be added to this statewide “don’t sell me a gun” registry remain on the list for a lifetime unless they asked to be removed, and can be hit with a Class B misdemeanor (which could, in theory, result in up to 90 days in jail) if they try to buy a gun while on this list that they themselves voluntarily signed up for.

I know what you’re thinking: If you don’t want a gun…just don’t buy a gun. If you don’t want to transport a gun…don’t? Why would the state create a registry where you can voluntarily ban yourself from buying a gun? Much like looking at a purity ring is supposed to remind a religious teen not to have premarital sex, will remembering you signed up for some statewide roster remind you to not buy a gun? Does Rep. Willner think this is a temptation thing? Or is it like when Otis locks himself in jail at night on The Andy Griffith Show?

Outside of a “make work” situation where KSP is just itching for some additional administrative paper to push around…I have absolutely no clue. Ever since the bill was introduced earlier this week, I’ve been trying to consider how this would help solve any of the serious gun violence problems faced by Kentucky and I’ve come up short. This seems like a fruitless attempt at virtue signaling for a certain type of person—I can definitely see someone making bumper stickers about this!—without doing the difficult, complex work of shaping legislation that helps make our communities safer. It also puts a major burden back on constituents to sign up for some list that really has no bearing on public policy—but could get you sent to jail.