Gun Violence Archive: Downtown Louisville shooting 146th mass shooting in the US in 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - Friday’s shooting in downtown Louisville was the 146th mass shooting in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It also ties for the nation’s tenth deadliest in 2023.

“It makes everyone think, it could be me, it could be you, it could be anywhere at any time,” said former Lexington Police Chief Anthany Beatty. “It’s a bit unnerving for the whole country. Particularly when it hits this close to home.”

Beatty knows, right now, first responders are still in crisis mode and may be for some time.

“And they deal with it. They’re trained to deal with it in that mode. But once you sit down, take a deep breath, the reality of that comes home. It’s unsettling and unnerving, even though these are well-trained professionals,” said Beatty.

Gun Violence Archive Executive Director Mark Bryant says looking at the last three years, 2021 was the worst the country has had, with 690 mass shootings.

“April 10 and compare the date to the last three, we are 15 over in mass shootings and four over in mass murders, which would be four or more people killed. So we are really running about 10% or 12% higher this year than previous years,” said Bryant.

Bryant says he can look at the data and see that states with more gun regulations statistically have less crime.

“Kentucky has 4.2 million people. The five boroughs of New York have 8.4. You would think New York would have more shootings; in reality, they have about the same. Which means the rate for Kentucky is twice as high,” said Bryant.

Beatty is asking, as the community takes a deep breath at the end of another deadly day in the Commonwealth, that more thought is put into mental health reform and gun regulations.

“To be quite honest with you, if we don’t do something personally, management-wise, legislatively, about the weapons and types of weapons and availability of weapons, then we’re failing ourselves, and we’re certainly failing our fellow man,” said Beatty.

When it comes to gun laws, Kentucky has what some would call “lenient laws.”

In 2019, Governor Matt Bevin passed a law making Kentucky a permit-less carry state, meaning concealed carry is legal for anyone at least 21 years old.

During this past legislative session, the Republican-led General Assembly passed House Bill 153 which makes Kentucky a “second amendment sanctuary state.” That means Kentucky law enforcement officers cannot enforce any federal ban or regulation on firearms enacted after January 2021.

Kentucky also does not have a red flag law.

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