Ky. mayor candidate who was shot at takes aim at gun auction

Sep 14, 2022, 11:56 AM | Updated: 12:38 pm

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A candidate for Louisville mayor who was shot at by an assailant in his campaign office is pledging to crack down on confiscated firearms that police send to auction.

Democrat Craig Greenberg said Wednesday that part of his plan to reduce violent crime would include directing Louisville police to render seized firearms inoperable before they go to auction. State law requires that confiscated guns be sent to Kentucky State Police for auction, and that the sale proceeds be used to buy equipment, like body armor, for police officers.

But Greenberg said many of the guns that go to auction end up on the streets and back in the hands of criminals. He called the practice “absurd and dangerous.” He said he believes the city can comply with the state law and still make the guns unusable, though he did not elaborate on how the guns would be altered to make them inoperable.

“We’re spending millions of taxpayer dollars to take illegal guns off the streets, to remove guns from the hands of criminals, or people seeking to do harm, and then there is a process in place where these guns end up back on the streets in different people’s hands,” Greenberg said in an interview Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Greenberg’s Republican opponent, Bill Deiruf, did not reply to a message seeking comment on Wednesday.

Greenberg returned Wednesday to the building that housed his former campaign office. It was at that site in February that a man walked in with a gun and fired six shots at Greenberg. One of the bullets grazed the mayoral candidate’s sweater. No one was hurt and a city council candidate, Quintez Brown, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and wanton endangerment. Brown is also facing federal charges. The gun Brown allegedly used was bought at a pawn shop just hours before the shooting.

The confiscated guns — usually taken by police during arrests — are bought at the auctions by federally licensed gun dealers. An auction held last month totaled nearly $174,000, according to the Kentucky State Police website.

State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett said in a letter to gun dealers posted on the website that the auctions “have been instrumental in equipping Kentucky law enforcement personnel with personal body armor and other equipment.”

A message sent to a state police spokesman on Wednesday was not returned.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

This photo provided by Robert Wilkes, owner of a house boat management company, shows smoke rising ...

Associated Press

Houseboats catch fire while docked at Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell

More than half a dozen house boats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday.

3 days ago

File - Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago, Thursday, March 23, 2023. On Friday, the U.S....

Associated Press

US hiring, unemployment jump in May and what that says about the economy

The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations.

3 days ago

(Pixabay Photo)...

Associated Press

Oath Keeper from Arizona sentenced for role in Jan. 6 riot at US Capitol

Edward Vallejo, a U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, oversaw a “Quick Reaction Force” at a Virginia hotel that was prepared to deploy an arsenal of weapons into Washington if needed, authorities say.

4 days ago

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens during a news conference, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

US Border Patrol chief is retiring after seeing through end of Title 42 immigration restrictions

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

5 days ago

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., on the House steps as...

Associated Press

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

The House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

5 days ago

Sean Bickings (Family Photo via city of Tempe)...

Associated Press

Family of man who drowned last year in Tempe Town Lake files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a man who drowned in Tempe Town Lake a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Wednesday, noting that its police department doesn't have a policy requiring officers to go into the water to save someone.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Ky. mayor candidate who was shot at takes aim at gun auction