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Wednesday, November 01, 2023

In the Kentucky governor's race, the gun policy debate is both personal and political

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Struck by tragedy when one of his closest friends died in a mass shooting, Kentucky’s Democratic governor supports a proposal meant to keep firearms away from people deemed as threats to themselves or others. His Republican challenger offers condolences for his rival’s loss but opposes the measure.

In one of the most personal exchanges of their campaign for governor, Gov. Andy Beshear and GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron staked out their stands on gun policy during a recent debate in Louisville. It’s a wrenching issue in Kentucky’s largest city, which has recorded at least 100 homicides in each of the last four years including 2023, with a high mark of 174 killings in 2021, and has struggled to come to terms with gun violence.