• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Time to address the status of women in policing today
        Police K-9 comforts Michigan State University students returning to...
        Volkswagen acknowledges policy breach after failing to provide...
        Michigan lieutenant completes DoorDash delivery for pregnant driver...
        South Carolina woman diagnosed with brain tumor thanks to traffic stop
    • Labor
      • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
        “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
    • Tech
      • Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
        Nebraska State Patrol uses drone technology to improve traffic flow...
        Dayton greenlights police access to private security camera footage
    • Training
      • U.S. trails in police training
        Denver police recruit has leg amputated after training drill
        Defunding vs. refunding public services
        Apathy is not the problem — leadership is
        Train more effectively with steel targets
    • Policy
      • Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
        Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
        Speaking up for K-9 colleagues
    • Health/Wellness
      • Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
        My poor coping strategies
        Heart health
    • Community
      • Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
        “It was an honor to serve with her”: Kansas first responders...
        Chicago police cook with children to build community relationships
        Wisconsin teen fighting brain cancer becomes police officer for a day
        Texas law enforcement agencies team up to fight cancer
    • Offbeat
      • Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
        Suspect hiding in bathtub in Florida calls 9-1-1 to send deputies to...
        Person in ‘Scream’ costume frightens California community,...
        “Brave and honest” toddler rats out fugitive hiding in Kentucky...
    • We Remember
      • Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
        “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
        “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
  • On the Job
    • Time to address the status of women in policing today
      Police K-9 comforts Michigan State University students returning to...
      Volkswagen acknowledges policy breach after failing to provide...
      Michigan lieutenant completes DoorDash delivery for pregnant driver...
      South Carolina woman diagnosed with brain tumor thanks to traffic stop
  • Labor
    • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
      “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
  • Tech
    • Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
      Nebraska State Patrol uses drone technology to improve traffic flow...
      Dayton greenlights police access to private security camera footage
  • Training
    • U.S. trails in police training
      Denver police recruit has leg amputated after training drill
      Defunding vs. refunding public services
      Apathy is not the problem — leadership is
      Train more effectively with steel targets
  • Policy
    • Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
      Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
      Speaking up for K-9 colleagues
  • Health/Wellness
    • Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
      My poor coping strategies
      Heart health
  • Community
    • Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
      “It was an honor to serve with her”: Kansas first responders...
      Chicago police cook with children to build community relationships
      Wisconsin teen fighting brain cancer becomes police officer for a day
      Texas law enforcement agencies team up to fight cancer
  • Offbeat
    • Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
      Suspect hiding in bathtub in Florida calls 9-1-1 to send deputies to...
      Person in ‘Scream’ costume frightens California community,...
      “Brave and honest” toddler rats out fugitive hiding in Kentucky...
  • We Remember
    • Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
      “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
      “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Policy

Kentucky police officers face uncertainty following “open carry” firearm law

APB Team Published November 12, 2022 @ 12:00 pm PST

iStock.com/FabrikaCr

Kentucky police officers find themselves between a rock and a hard place after the state’s “open carry” firearm law banned permit requirements in 2019.

The law, which allows law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm in public without a permit, has put police in a difficult position.

The dilemma officers face was most recently illustrated after 26-year-old Carmon Tussey was arrested for carrying a semi-automatic weapon near a bar in Louisville, Kentucky, which caused people to flee in panic.

Tussey was later charged with terroristic threatening, wanton endangerment and disorderly conduct and could face up to 20 years in prison.

However, Tussey’s lawyer asserts that he was engaged in “perfectly legal behavior,” according to the 2019 constitutional carry law.

“Kentucky is one of the states that allows a citizen to ‘open carry’ – meaning it is perfectly legal to walk down a public street carrying a loaded gun out in the open,” Tussey’s Attorney Greg Simms stated.

Officers said there were other factors involved in the case, citing the type of weapon Tussey carried, the way he was holding it and the location.

Police also confirmed that a witness reported that Tussey was involved in a verbal altercation just before the incident.

According to the arrest citation, Tussey told police that he was “returning to shoot” the people he fought with at the bar.

Simms argued that police had no legal right to arrest Tussey when they did and is confident he can win his case.

The situation highlights the dilemma police face in states with open carry laws.

Often, officers have to make split-second decisions as to whether an individual carrying a gun in public has violent intentions.

Gun control advocates argue that permitless carry laws increase dangers for citizens and police officers.

“It’s no secret why so many law enforcement leaders are speaking out against permitless carry laws,” said gun control advocate John Feinblatt, president of the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety.

“Allowing anyone to carry a gun anywhere makes the job of a police officer harder and more dangerous.”

Gun violence continues to be a major issue in the country and the sole cause behind a majority of killings.

Meanwhile, states continue to pass constitutional carry laws eliminating the need to obtain a permit before carrying a gun in public.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed a law earlier this year to remove the permit requirement for carrying a handgun in public. The new law took effect on July 1.

“We’re still expected to enforce our laws and take those guns off the streets and make sure people who aren’t supposed to have them don’t,” Indiana State Police spokesman Captain Ron Galaviz said. “It’s just an extra couple of steps in that process.”

Police say that under the new law, they cannot immediately confiscate a gun or demand a permit during traffic stops.

Importantly, police are sometimes stumped when responding to complaints about people armed in public.

In Boise, Idaho, police received multiple calls about a “man with a gun” in regards to 27-year-old Jacob Bergquist, a gun rights advocate who often carried a weapon in public and around places that ban firearms, such as hospitals.

Idaho passed a law allowing permitless carry in 2016. However, the law states that property owners can ban firearms from their property.

Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee said his officers had no grounds to arrest Bergquist until he shot and killed a 26-year-old security guard and another man and wounded four others.

Bergquist later died in a gunfight with police officers.

Shannon West, a training supervisor at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, said officers have “got a very quick decision to make … as to whether or not to intervene, when to intervene and how.”

There have also been cases where open carry laws have been praised for preventing deadly rampages, such as when an Indiana man legally shot and killed a gunman at a mall.

However, the dilemma still stands.

“But when you eliminate the permit requirement, then anyone can carry a firearm on the streets, and it becomes harder for police and for others to figure out whether that person has bad intent or not,” UCLA law professor Adam Winkler told PBS.

Categories: Policy Tags: gun rights, second amendment, gun permit, constitutional carry, open carry, Carmon Tussey, Indiana, firearm, gun control, Kentucky

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy data
  • Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls about planetary phenomenon
  • Crypto crime investigations
  • Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of police officers and to educate the public
  • Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot pursuit” ever
  • Time to address the status of women in policing today
  • Police K-9 comforts Michigan State University students returning to class after campus mass shooting
  • Volkswagen acknowledges policy breach after failing to provide Illinois sheriff’s office with GPS location of car carrying abducted toddler
  • Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
  • Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to support law enforcement families

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.