LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the city mourns the loss of five people killed in a mass shooting Monday, many are calling on lawmakers to make changes to state and federal laws.
One of those people is Whitney Austin, a survivor of a workplace shooting. Austin was shot twelve times in 2018 at a bank administrative building in Cincinnati. She survived, but three others were killed.
What happened in Louisville Monday, she says, hits close to home.
“I was devastated,” Austin said. “You know it is so similar to what happened to me and it takes me right back to you know the way I felt and what I experienced.”
After recovering from her injuries, Austin helped found Whitney/Strong, a nonprofit working to end gun violence through bipartisan-led change.
“We do actually agree on more than we disagree and we need to move forward with those solutions that are rooted in common ground,” Austin said.
One of those solutions is legislation the Whitney/Strong organization has backed for four years. A bipartisan-backed bill called Crisis Aversion and Rights Retention (CARR).
“And what CARR can do is in situations like what happened on Monday, when we are aware of someone who’s struggling with suicidal thoughts who has access to a firearm, and someone who’s intent on harming someone or themselves, that we can intervene, and we can temporarily transfer their firearm and get them the help that they need so that they can get better,” Austin said.
The bill was not brought up during this year’s legislative session.
Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Louisville) agreed more needs to be done on the state and federal level.
“I had somebody tell me the other day don’t make this political. Fine, don’t make this political, people’s lives aren’t political. Public safety isn’t political. Put those policies in place that put people first,” McGarvey said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) said in a news conference Tuesday he plans to reach out to state lawmakers about changing Kentucky’s gun laws.