(WKYT) – A Kentucky lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow the state to transfer machine guns to residents through a program administered by Kentucky State Police.
House Bill 749, sponsored by Rep. TJ Roberts, R-Burlington, would establish the Office of Public Defense within Kentucky State Police to oversee the sale and transfer of machine guns. Under the bill, each state police post would serve as a point of sale and transfer.
Roberts said the bill creates a legal pathway for law-abiding Kentuckians to obtain military-style weapons that are typically cost-prohibitive.
“If you want a machine gun manufactured post 1986 right now, you’re going to break the law to do it,” Roberts said.
Roberts cited the Hughes Amendment to federal law as the legal basis for the program, saying it permits state governments to transfer machine guns to citizens.
“This was not a cause unknown to the founding fathers. That our society is better protected when its citizens are responsibly and well armed,” Roberts said.
Roberts said the bill would also generate revenue for the state. Transfer fees and market-rate sales of the weapons would be paid to the state.
“In order to acquire these machine guns, there is a transfer fee. There is the ability to sell them at a market rate,” Roberts said.
He said the bill is revenue positive and could reduce the state’s dependence on income tax.
The level of support for the bill in the legislature is not yet clear. Roberts described it as a conversation starter on gun rights.
The Whitney Strong Organization, which advocates for responsible gun ownership in Kentucky, said it had not yet had time to review or comment on the bill.