The GOP-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill Monday afternoon to ban devices that can convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons, though a significant number of Republicans opposed the measure.
House Bill 299, sponsored by House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Lousville, would allow local law enforcement to enforce at the state level an existing federal prohibition against possessing what are known as machine gun conversion devices.
House Bill 299
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Paul Humphrey had told a committee of lawmakers that local law enforcement can’t seize such devices when found because the prohibition is not in state law.
“We don’t need more laws on guns. What we do need to do is enforce the laws that we have,” Nemes said on the House floor. “All this bill does is allow local law enforcement to enforce the law that already exists.”
Democrats in the minority joined a plurality of Republicans to approve the bill by a vote of 65-25. All of the votes in opposition were cast by Republicans.
Some Republicans in the legislature had previously voiced concerns over the constitutionality of such a measure. The bill heads to the Kentucky Senate for its consideration.
This article appears in Feb 14-28, 2026.