Members of Kentucky's minority party are calling for gun reform legislation after last week's mass shooting in downtown Louisville.

At a press conference this morning and Frankfort, the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus, called for the General Assembly to take up comprehensive gun control laws.

Our Kacey Parker Belle was at the press conference this morning.

The first responsibility of government is the safety of a citizenry.

And to the extent we do not do all that we can to protect life, we have failed in our responsibility.

We can do no less.

A week after the mass shooting in Louisville, members of the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus met in the Capitol Rotunda to push for gun control legislation.

House Minority Leader Derrick Graham pushed for Red flag laws.

There are times when we need to step in and stop someone before they harm themselves or harm others.

These laws have shown their worth in other states, and I believe the Commonwealth of Kentucky should have one as well.

But the leaders of the General Assembly's minority party did not say whether they believed gun control legislation could pass.

This is going to take all of us to come together to sit down, to have an open and honest discussion about a factual discussion, by the way, about what we can do to lessen this gun violence.

There are methodologies out here.

Their experiences we've had have demonstrated that we can do this.

The question is, are we willing to do this?

And they said they had not spoken with Republican leadership about the issue.

We will begin to make those conversations and hopefully meet with the leadership as well as within our caucus as well.

Legislators did not call on Governor Andy Beshear to call a special session to address gun legislation, but they were adamant that gun violence must be dealt with.

It's an epidemic, and I think we have to deal with an epidemic and we have to deal with it soon.

Some members of Kentucky's Black Legislative Caucus also spoke in favor of the Tennessee three.

The group of legislators that protested for gun reform on the floor of the Tennessee State House.

Louisville Senator Jerry O'Neal and Lexington Representative George Brown are heading to Nashville.

Tomorrow.

For a human chain.

That human chain is supposed to show support for gun control legislation across the country.

This human chain will start at the Children's Hospital for Victims of the March 27th shooting in Nashville were taken and will continue all the way to the state capitol building in Tennessee.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm K.C.

Parker Belt.

Thank you, Casey.

A poll released last week by Emerson College and Fox 56 News showed a large majority of Kentucky's registered Republicans think Kentucky's gun laws don't need to be adjusted.

Almost 71% of those polled said they think the Commonwealth's gun laws are, quote, just right.

Another 18% said Kentucky's gun laws are, quote, too strict and just under 12% said they're too lenient.

Louisville State Representative Ketterer Herron believes that creating a new gun violence prevention office within the state public health Department is one way to make communities safer.

Herron, who is a legal gun owner herself, says it's not about taking away gun rights, but collecting the right data that could help prevent mass shootings like Louisville experienced last week.

It's acknowledging, one we have an issue with gun violence and to the other thing it does is allows us to start funding and putting resources behind research and data as it relates to gun incidences.

In the bill written out as suicide, domestic violence, child abuse and inter-community violence.

Right now, Kip Brick at the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention Research Prevention Research Center.

They have been collecting this data and holding this data for over ten years.

So we have the data.

We're collecting it already here in Kentucky.

But what this bill says is that we're going to put money and resources behind it and we're going to let the experts tell us and inform us about what's happening in our communities and give us a solutions to what we can do.

And I think that what we'll find is in different regions, we're going to learn different things and different reason regions.

We may see suicide is more is at a higher rate.

And I think that when we get down and are able to see what's really happening as it relates to gun violence, I think that it then empowers communities.

It empowers regions to say this is what we need to do for our community and this is what they need to do for their community.

And that was the reason that I found this bill when I was sworn in last session.

When I came in in the middle of the session after my special election, this was the very first bill I found.

This is what I ran on.

This is what I've told my people that I would do.

And I am here to work with lawmakers on both sides, on the federal level, the state level, the local level, law enforcement people from the medical field, survivors, victims, perpetrators, families, whoever to make sure that we do something, to make sure that we do not continue to be traumatized by gun violence in our communities.

While State Representative Katori Herron, once again, our thoughts and hearts are with you and the greater law war community.

Please take good care of yourself.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Renee.