Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg Slams Kentucky Gun Laws

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has slammed Kentucky gun laws over the shooting at Old National Bank on Monday that left five people, plus the gunman, dead.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Greenberg, a Democrat, told reporters that Kentucky law allows for the weapon used by 25-year-old gunman Connor Sturgeon—an AR-15-style rifle he had legally purchased 6 days before the rampage—to be "one day" auctioned off to the public and put back on the streets.

"The laws we have now are enabling violence and murder," Greenberg said.

"To those in the national media that are joining us here today, this may be even more shocking than it is to those of us locally who know this and are dealing with this," he added. "But under current Kentucky law, the assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbors and shoot at rescuing police officers will one day be auctioned off. Think about that."

Ownership of AR-15-style rifles has long been controversial. Those seeking stricter gun controls for public safety point to such weapons' role in some of America's deadliest mass shootings. Their opponents say AR-15s are used legitimately in the vast majority of cases for property protection, personal protection, sporting activities and hunting, and ownership of them is safeguarded by the Second Amendment.

Greenberg focused on how such weapons are subsequently sold. According to Kentucky state law, firearms confiscated by local police are returned to state police and then made available to the public at auction. This includes guns used in homicides and mass shootings.

"That murder weapon will be back on the streets one day under Kentucky's current law," he said. "My administration has already taken action to remove the firing pin before turning confiscated guns over to the state, because that's all that the current law allows us to do. That's not enough.

"It's time to change this law and let us destroy illegal guns and destroy the guns that have been used to kill our friends and kill our neighbors."

On Monday, Sturgeon—reportedly an Old National Bank employee—entered the bank's building armed with an AR-15-style rifle and shot and injured numerous employees, killing five. Four people, according to reports, remain in the hospital.

Sturgeon was killed by police after a shootout during which two officers were injured. According to police, Sturgeon was killed within nine minutes since gunfire was reported at the bank.

Sturgeon reportedly left a note and had told at least one person that he was feeling suicidal before the rampage. His family said in a statement that, while they were aware of the 25-year-old's "mental health challenges," there were "never any warning signs" that he might commit such a "shocking act" of violence.

Sturgeon's criticism of Kentucky gun laws has been echoed by other prominent figures in the state.

On Tuesday, Louisville surgeon Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer for University of Louisville Health, made an emotional appeal to policymakers, calling for them to "do something, because doing nothing, which is what we've been doing, is not working."

Talking to reporters, Smith said: "I'll tell you personally, I'm weary. For 15 years, I've cared for victims of violence and gunshot wounds. And people say I'm tired, but I'll be candid, it's more than tired. I'm weary. There's only so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone they're not coming home tomorrow. It just breaks your heart. When you hear someone screaming mommy or daddy. It just becomes too hard day in and day out to be able to do that."

He added: "I'm a doctor. I don't know what the answer is. But to everyone who helps make policy both state and federal, I would simply ask you to do something because doing nothing, which is what we've been doing, is not working. We have to do something because this is just getting out of hand across our city and across this great nation."

Newsweek has contacted Mayor Craig Greenberg for comment by email.