U.S. Sen. Rand Paul discusses crime, federal spending in Lexington
Originally published by WEKU.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul came to Lexington Friday to discuss crime with Mayor Linda Gorton, the chief of police and community organizers. At a news conference afterwards, Paul said when gun violence is discussed, extreme polarization between Republicans and Democrats leads to nothing happening. He said each year, about 100-thousand felons try to purchase guns, and just one percent of them are prosecuted.
“You have to always try to find resources, this is a federal issue, but it intersects with the local, would be to try to find money. We have a $1.2 billion fund for Afghanistan reconstruction. I don’t know about everybody else, but I’m kind of tired of sending our money overseas. And I think we could spend some of that money here.”
Paul said he’ll introduce a bill that would use some of that money to hire more U.S. attorneys to prosecute felons illegally trying to purchase guns. He also praised a portion of the Safer Kentucky Act passed by the General Assembly this session.
“The one aspect of the act that I advocated for — the Safer Act – was the idea that if you attempt to kill someone, but you don’t hit them with the bullets, that it should be considered to be a violent crime, not a non-violent crime.”
Paul said it’s important to find common ground between parties – and local, state and federal government officials.
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Originally published by WEKU.
Republished with permission.
