Ky. lawmakers shouldn't be reactionary on gun laws, says newest state Senator

Kentucky’s newest Senator-to-be, Sara Beth Gregory, will serve on the committee that would have jurisdiction over gun laws but says she doesn’t see a need to tighten them in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Connecticut.

“Philosophically, I tend to be opposed to further gun regulations just as a general matter,” said Gregory, a lawyer and Republican from Monticello who won a special election on Dec. 18. She replaces David Williams, who resigned in November to become a judge.

“Now if someone could present a good case that it’s something we should consider, I definitely would consider it. But as a general principle, I believe that when we put further restrictions on guns, it tends to just adversely impact the rights of law abiding citizens because the people who are willing to break the law don’t care about the regulations.” (2:45)

Gregory said she has received early indications that she will join the powerful Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, which handles the budget, as well as the Judiciary Committee. She previously served as vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during her first and only term in the state House.

“All of us are heartbroken …” she said of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., in which a gunman killed 20 students and six teachers and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary. “It’s an absolutely devastating tragedy, but at the same time, I think it’s important as policy makers not to be too reactionary.”