Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has made little secret about running for president in 2028, and on paper the Democrat can make a pretty good case for his party's nomination. He's shown he can win statewide office in a deep-red state, and his more moderate governing style would make it difficult to portray him as a far left loon like Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom.
If anything, Beshear might be too moderate for many Democrats. And maybe that helps to explain why the governor recently vetoed a common sense bill allowing young adults to exercise their Second Amendment right to carry a firearm in self-defense.
HB 312 would set up a "provisional" carry license for adults 18-to-20-years-old. As things stand, Kentuckians 21 and older don't need a license to carry at all, so long as they can legally possess a gun. That permitless carry law was signed by Beshear's Republican predecessor, but Beshear has made no attempt to repeal it since he's been in office.
So, if a 21-year-old can carry without a permit, what's Beshear's rationale for prohibiting adults under the age of 21 from carrying at all? Here's what he said in his veto message:
While I believe in the Second Amendment, Kentuckians under age 21 cannot rent a car, cannot buy alcohol, cannot buy tobacco products, cannot consume medical cannabis through vapor devices, and cannot be a State Representative or Senator. Under another bill filed this session they would not be able to place a sports bet. Kentuckians are also allowed to stay on their parents' health insurance policies until they are 26 years old. Laws setting these minimum age limits are meant to protect our youth.
Yet under House Bill 312, minors under age 21 could carry concealed deadly weapons, even though federal law restricts their ability to buy handguns. Tonight, I'm remembering my friend Tommy Elliott, who was murdered along with four other children of God three years ago in an act of gun violence. I'm vetoing this bill in his honor.
Elliott, it should be noted, was murdered by a 25-year-old with a rifle whose motivation, in part, was to advocate for more gun control laws. Beshear may be publicly "honoring" his friend with this veto, but he's also giving that killer exactly what he wanted.
It's true that Kentucky residents have to be 21 to rent a car, purchase alcohol, buy tobacco or medical marijuana, and are prohibited from serving in the state legislature. Last time I checked, though, none of those activities are protected or guaranteed by the Constitution.
It's also true that, currently, federal law prohibits under-21s from purchasing a handgun from an FFL. There is no federal law, however, that prevents them from receiving one as a gift, or even building their own. The law has also been ruled unconstitutional by a number of jurisdictions (and upheld by others). In fact, there are currently five cases pending review at the Supreme Court, where the justices look to be holding on to them until Wolford and Hemani are decided. At that point, the Court will most likely grant cert, vacate the lower court decisions, and remand the cases back to lower courts for another review in light of the Wolford and Hemani opinions.
More importantly, if an 18-year-old is arrested for carrying a firearm in Kentucky, they're not adjudicated in juvenile court. Oh no, they're considered an adult in the eyes of the law in that case.
Does Andy Beshear think that's unfair? Should "youth" 18 and older be treated as minors in the criminal justice system? And if Beshear doesn't believe that's the case, then why shouldn't these legal adults have the opportunity to conceal carry without violating the law?
Beshear's veto message is even more ridiculous when you consider the fact that 18-year-olds can already carry in Kentucky, so long as they do so openly. In other words, this veto won't actually prevent any young adults from carrying. It just prohibits them from the most common form of bearing arms.
Beshear's veto is also unlikely to stand. HB 312 passed the House 73-17 and the Senate 30-7. In Kentucky, a simple majority is all that's needed to override a governor's veto, so unless Republican leadership in the legislature refuse to hold an override vote for some unfathomable reason, adults 18 and older will soon be able to lawfully carry a concealed firearm.
Andy Beshear's stated reasons for vetoing HB 312 are idiotic, but I don't think we're the intended audience for his veto message. No, I think Beshear was talking to gun control groups and Democratic voters; not just in Kentucky, but in New Hampshire, Iowa, and other early primary states. He's already campaigning for president, and in the Democrat primaries candidates don't stand a chance unless they're backing gun control and opposing any bill that would fundamentally improve the right to keep and bear arms.... even if doing so infantilizes the youngest cohort of voters at the same time. Sadly, there are plenty of young Democrats who don't mind being treated like children when it comes to exercising their Second Amendment rights, but even if that wasn't the case Beshear's going to cater to the desires of the gun control lobby as much as he can between now and 2028.
