"We stand in solidarity with the Tennessee Three," Rep. George Brown began the press conference.
With two mass shootings in Louisville in the last week alone, the legislative caucus is working to keep the pressure on for gun reforms in deeply pro-Second Amendment General Assembly. Tying their message to the Tennessee lawmakers at the center of a controversy over gun control protests, the Kentucky lawmakers called for "common sense" reforms and open and honest discussions about gun violence.
Louisville Sen. Gerald Neal said the problem is hardly one that's confined to his city.
"It's not just that. It's emblematic of what's happening across the commonwealth and across this nation," the Democrat said. "And it's not just about mass shootings. It's about individual acts of gun violence that are taking place every day across the commonwealth."
But the cause is a tough sell in the GOP-led legislature, which has been actively working to loosen gun restrictions for years. It recently voted to make Kentucky a so-called "Second Amendment Sanctuary' state, which would block enforcement of any federal firearm bans.
Another factor creating headwinds for reform advocates: the regular legislative session adjourned at the end of March and, short of a special session being called by the governor, lawmakers won't be back in their official capacity until 2024.
