HB332 creates a new offense in Kentucky for the unlawful storage of a firearm when a person recklessly leaves or stores a gun in a way that allows a minor unsupervised access, and the firearm is not secured in a locked container, rendered temporarily inoperable by a safety device or mechanism, or carried on the person. The offense applies only when a minor accesses the firearm without permission from a parent or guardian.
The bill sets the offense as a Class A misdemeanor in most cases. If the minor then uses the firearm without legal justification and that use causes physical injury, serious physical injury, or death to the minor or another person, the offense is elevated to a Class D felony. The bill is also titled the Baby Dre Gun Safety Act.
Impact
HB332 would add a new section to KRS Chapter 527, expanding Kentucky criminal law to impose liability on adults for unsafe firearm storage that results in a minor gaining access to a gun. It would affect gun owners, parents, guardians, and other adults who store firearms in homes or other places where minors may be present, and it would create a new misdemeanor and felony penalty structure tied to the consequences of the minor’s access and use of the firearm.
Sentiment
The bill text reflects a strongly supportive public-safety rationale, emphasizing child protection, prevention of unintentional shootings, youth suicides, and school shootings. However, there is no committee transcript or voting history provided, so there is no recorded legislative debate, amendment discussion, or vote-based indication of broader support or opposition in the available materials.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether criminal liability should attach to adults for firearm storage practices when a minor gains access, and whether the bill appropriately balances child safety with gun-owner responsibility. Potential points of contention include the use of criminal penalties for storage failures, the recklessness standard, and the felony enhancement when a minor’s use of the firearm causes injury or death. No specific legislators, groups, or objections are identified in the provided record.