(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — A bill that would make it a felony under Kentucky law to possess machine gun conversion devices advanced out of committee Tuesday, moving one step closer to a full House vote.
The House Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee approved House Bill 299, sponsored by House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Middletown. The legislation would establish a class C felony charge for knowingly possessing devices that convert conventional firearms into machine guns — bringing state law in line with existing federal statute.
“This bill before you couldn’t be any simpler,” Nemes told the committee. “All it does is mirror the federal law with respect to these machine gun conversion devices.”
Under federal law, machine guns are defined as weapons capable of firing more than one round per trigger pull without manually reloading. The bill targets the parts or combinations of parts used to give standard firearms that capability.
Louisville Metro Chief of Police Paul Humphrey testified alongside Nemes, arguing the measure would give Kentucky law enforcement a critical tool that it currently lacks. Without a state law on the books, Humphrey said officers who encounter the devices are often forced to return them if federal authorities decline to take over a case.
“Right now, we would turn that weapon right back over if the federal government was not willing to step in,” Humphrey said. He added that the bill would allow police to act against individuals suspected of violent crime without having to depend on federal intervention.
Not all committee members were persuaded. Rep. T.J. Roberts, R-Burlington, raised both constitutional objections and practical concerns, questioning whether the bill would have meaningful impact. He pointed to so-called forced reset triggers — devices that use a firearm’s mechanical energy to rapidly reset the trigger while technically remaining classified as semi-automatic — as a potential workaround for criminals.
“If we take these off the street, criminals will just switch to those devices,” Roberts said. “I am not sure if this law has any real benefit.”
Rep. Myron Dossett, R-Pembroke, spoke in favor of the bill, expressing support for law enforcement and the tools they need to protect communities.
HB 299 now heads to the full House for consideration.
