In 2018, the day after the Parkland school shooting, state Representative Chris Harris stood up in the House of Representatives and said, “Enough.” He was open to legislation to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. He left the General Assembly two years later and called Monday’s mass shooting in Louisville a tragedy.
“It just hurts my heart to know that this is happening again. And it's, it's just getting closer and closer to areas that you know that we all that we all know and that we that we -- our own communities.”
After Harris, a gun owner, changed his position on guns, the National Rifle Association changed his grade – from an A to an F. Two years later, when Harris ran for the state Supreme Court, opponents used his failing gun grade against him and he lost. However, he said he doesn’t regret taking a stand against unfettered gun ownership – a stand he wishes more of his former peers would consider.
“We still have the legislature still passing laws that are causing the problem to be worse. I mean, when you're talking, you're debating on whether or not you should have guns on college campuses. You know, I mean, to me, that's crazy.”
The college campus gun bill failed, but Harris notes the General Assembly has passed several pro-gun bills the last few years. Among his suggestions: a law to prevent 18-year-olds from purchasing assault-type rifles.
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