The Public Safety Committee of the Louisville Metro Council met on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chambers (via video teleconference with some members in chambers). Chair Brent Ackerson called the meeting to order, and a quorum of 8 members was present. The single agenda item was a resolution urging the Kentucky General Assembly to allow Louisville Metro to permanently destroy abandoned, confiscated, or forfeited firearms.
That's wrong. We need to know all the window sizes. I was scared to go to the permit office and bring an inspector here because I was afraid he's gonna tell me take all of it down. They need a more accurate site plan. Has that already been provided? We told her the whole situation. They came into our office and we pulled it up, and sure enough, there was no permit. We were able to come out, look at it to see what what it was gonna take to see if we can salvage what was here. And he told us that maybe for you, Lieutenant Meets. No, no, I'm Randall from W O KY. Oh my god. Yes, sir, we do. All right, Metro TV will start in thirty seconds. All right, folks. This is uh May 7th. This is the regularly scheduled meeting of the public safety committee. Uh who's President Chambers? We have committee member Hudson and Committee Member Sime. Okay, great. It looks like we've got uh Councilwoman Flood, Councilman Reed, Councilman Owen, and myself on virtually. And it looks like uh Councilwoman Hawkins may be joining us when she gets her camera going. All right, folks, we've got one item on the agenda. Actually, Madam Clerk, can you get the disclaimer out? This meeting is being held pursuant to KRS sixty one point eight two six and council rule five A read and full. All right, folks, we've got one item on the agenda, it's a resolution, so this should be pretty quick. Uh the first item is R-Zero two zero-two three resolution calling on the Kentucky General Assembly to enact House Bill three twenty-five and Senate Bill Sixty Eight empowering global Jefferson County Metro government to permanently destroy abandoned confiscated or forfeited forfeited firearms in its uh custody. Is there a motion? Move. Second, second items proper before us. Uh council Hawkins or Councilman Hudson being the primary sponsors, I will tender the floor to one of you all. Is uh councilwoman Hawkins on online? Uh I'll defer to her first and uh she is she's not she looks like that her her camera's not on and thus she's not in attendance. Um Chair Ackerson. Um uh councilwoman Hawkins just walked in. Our apologies. Gotcha. Well, she's showing up on my on my feed here. Uh so she's still online also perfect. Councilman Hawkins, you have the floor. Chair, while she's setting up, I'll I'll go ahead and speak to this uh and then uh uh defer to uh councilwoman Hawkins. Uh this is a a resolution before us simply to encourage um government at the state level to do what's right in in my opinion and councilwoman Hawkins' opinion to allow just Jefferson County to destroy guns that were used in a crime. Um if, for example, a a gun was used in a crime uh that was a stolen gun and the rightful owner of that gun uh can be found, that gun would be returned to the rightful owner. These are only guns that were forfeited and used in a crime. Um there are documented cases where guns have gone to auction. Right right now, um we we have no choice but to send those guns to Kentucky State Police where they sell them at auction. Uh and there have been documented cases where after that auction, those guns have been found back on the streets used in another crime. Um it is my opinion that is if a gun uh has been used to murder a child, that gun should be destroyed. Uh and that may might be an inflammatory and an extreme example, but that's what we're dealing with here. The other counties in the state don't have the uh gun violence that we do. Uh and I think this is a step in the right direction and would appreciate support.