A high ranking Kentucky lawmaker is proposing to make handgun conversion devices illegal at the state level.

The devices, which turn handguns into fully automatic weapons, are already legal on the federal level.

But a Louisville Republican says Kentucky needs the state authority to act.

Our Emily Sisk explains in tonight's legislative update.

Handgun conversion devices turn a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic device.

That means the gun continuously fires bullets until the trigger is released or the ammunition runs out.

These devices are already illegal on the federal level, but they're not explicitly prohibited by Kentucky state law.

State Representative Jason Nemeth said that needs to change to give law enforcement the authority to seize the weapons and charge those in possession.

Why is that important?

Because right now, we're not allowed to enforce federal law, obviously, with the state.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said currently, state law enforcement only has the ability to seize the converted weapon if they're charging the owner for a gun related crime.

Otherwise, they can only report the illegal handgun to federal law enforcement agents who may or may not decide to pursue the case.

The only hope that we have of any type of enforcement of this type of weapon is to be dependent on the federal government, particularly the ATF, to not only pick up the case, but go forward with the prosecution.

The ATF is the bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The state officials said oftentimes, the federal agency is short handed and can't prosecute every possession of the illegal weapon.

One state representative was critical of the proposal, saying he didn't see the need for a law that already exists on the federal level.

I think this is already illegal at the federal level.

Further, I think that we have fundamentally failed to protect the Second Amendment rights of Kentuckians.

I think our energy is better spent actually expanding this right to self-defense of rather than imposing further restrictions that are already illegal at the federal level.

Representative Namus countered the criticism and explained his reasoning for the proposal.

I would disagree that Kentucky hasn't protected the Second Amendment right.

I bought two guns within the last 60 days.

They took me less than ten minutes to buy.

I don't think there are restrictions in place that are a problem.

When I look at gun laws, I think we should do effectively for thing, keep them from the mentally ill and help identify who the mentally ill are and give them treatment.

Number two, we need to keep guns from people who shouldn't have them, felons and people who've had a finding of a domestic violence order, things of that nature.

Number three, we need to strongly enforce, the law that we have currently on the books with background checks and so forth.

I know you and I disagree on whether we have to have background checks and those kinds of things, but we have those kinds of laws.

We need to strongly enforce those laws.

And then number four, when somebody uses a firearm in the, in the in the commission of a crime, we need to take that very seriously.

We need to do those four things, all while protecting the law abiding gun owner.

This doesn't change that at all.

It's illegal to have this device today.

It will be just as illegal.

No more.

So once we pass this, if we pass this bill.

Another Republican lawmaker explained why she disagrees with the proposal.

It is creating a new regulation, more gun control on our Second Amendment rights.

If we were to pass this into Kentucky's law, I view this as new and additional gun control.

And, I have some issues with it.

I'm opposed to it.

This is not new gun control.

It does not affect it does not put a new restriction on our people.

It does not to have one of these auto series.

It is illegal today.

This doesn't change that.

So to say that it puts another restriction.

That is factually incorrect.

While the proposal received criticism from some conservative voices, it also got support from legislators on both sides of the aisle.

We don't want to see our police officers harm because they are the ones on the front lines.

Has got to deal with this.

And to me, this has nothing to do with the Second Amendment.

No one's trying to eviscerate the Second Amendment.

I do not think that, any stretch of the imagination that we can consider this violation of Second Amendment rights at all.

This is just simple common sense legislation for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

Many thanks, Emily.

Representative Nemeth says he will modify the proposed bill in preparation for the 2026 legislative session that begins in January.

28 states have passed similar legislation, including Tennessee and Alabama.