Louisville
It was a rare day that found me watching the news. I watched while I got ready this morning for information about the bank shooting in downtown Louisville yesterday. I checked online a couple times throughout the day after that to see if any new news had come out, and I was doing all this with a mix of two emotions: dread and blank helplessness. The dread was because I have both lived and worked in downtown Louisville, and didnt know whether or not any names of people I might have known personally would come out. And the helplessness was because it feels like there is nothing in place to stop things like this from happening again and again, anywhere. Back to dread again because events like these are always a multilayered issue that has chaos at every intersection. A fact repeated publicly and often: there need to be vast changes in gun laws. But there also need to be mass changes in how we approach and handle possible mental health issues.
When it comes to money, my first instinct was to compare how much our GOP politicians are receiving in donations from gun groups to repeal or lessen the impact of gun laws. I thought that might be a factor after learning that Kentucky is now a Second Amendment Sanctuary State (meaning gun laws are minimal and not enforced, and gun purchases to customers of any capacity are given a wide berth). But after checking, numbers of gun violence events per year varied from state to state, and didnt show any pattern that I could use to point out cause and effect. The charts are all public and out there. There are states who dont even recieve that much money from gun lobbyists, and they still have alot of gun violence. So then what is the answer? Promote other weapons besides guns? Provide ‘incentives’ to states who can lower their yearly rates of gun violence?
Kentucky is also a state that up until now had been lacking when it comes to treatment and guidelines put in place for mental health measures. House Bill 207 was signed the first week of April and it is for both physical and mental wellness programs for law enforcement. Thankfully, this means we are on the right track to attacking a problem that permeates throughout the community, regardless of industry or economic standing. The gunman wasn’t a LEO, but he seemingly was a citizen that suffered mental hardships not noticeable to his peers. Mental illness can often be a silent affliction, one that doesn’t materialize sometimes until it is too late. Workplace discord could have exacerbated what was already likely a volatile inner state. Yet and still, having inner turmoil and troubles will never be a reason or excuse to harm someone or take the life of another. Never. I know many people who wake up everyday at the edge of reason and harming other people doesnt cross their mind, so some of this seemed uniquely personal. Furthermore, Kentucky can offer and host all sorts of mental health help, but you have to want the help, and be open to receiving it. So what do we do? Where do we go from here to ensure safety from gun violence at this point? And if it is to be looked at as the person committing the crime and not the weapon, what do we do to protect ourselves from each other?
My most immediate suggestion is to get some mental health qualifications/standardizations put in place before being able to purchase a firearm. I dont think that is asking too much, though I also know that it is still a tall order. And if it cannot be state wide, then hopefully we can start it city wide. In a few short years Louisville has become unrecognizable to me in many ways, the uptick in gun violence being one of them. But I agree that we are still a “small town in a big city”, and I dont think it is too late for us to turn things around. I do believe that our mayor and governor care for the welfare and future of Louisville and I also believe solutions are possible. But like mental health help for lone individuals, we all have to want change to steer this ship in a better direction. Taking weapons out of the hands of the proven mentally infirm can be the start of that.









