Representative Jeff Donohue (D) has proposed a bill banning "assault weapons" in Kentucky. These Laws are not only detrimental to law abiding citizens, but also unconstitutional and a violation of our 2nd Amendment Rights of the United States of America. The proposed bill will classify an "Assault Weapon" as the following; 1) A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one (1) of the following characteristics: a. A folding or telescoping stock;b. A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;c. A second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the nontrigger hand;d. A thumbhole stock;e. A suppressor, flash suppressor, muzzle break, muzzle compensator, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, muzzle break, or muzzle compensator; orf. A grenade launcher. These classifications also extend to shotguns and handguns. After the effective date of this bill, a law abiding citizen will be found guilty of possession or transfer of a "large-capacity ammunition feeding device" (magazine) when; (a)  Possesses a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device;(b)  Transfers a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device to another person, except as provided in subsections (4)(c) and (d) of this section.Possession or transfer of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device is a Class A misdemeanor.This section shall not apply to a person who is: (a)  A member of the Armed Forces of the United States, a reserve component thereof, or the National Guard; or(b)  A law enforcement officer as defined in KRS 15.310. After the effective date of this bill, a law abiding citizen must; (a) Remove the large-capacity ammunition-feeding device from the state;(b) Render the large-capacity ammunition-feeding device permanently inoperable;(c) Sell the large-capacity ammunition-feeding device to a federally licensed firearms dealer; or(d) Transfer the large-capacity ammunition-feeding device to law enforcement. If still in possession of these weapons or magazines you will be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor.  This bill also makes it to where your firearm must be "permanently inoperable"  As used in this section, "permanently inoperable" means that the assault weapon is altered in such a manner that it cannot be fired and that the owner or possessor of the firearm does not possess or have control over the parts necessary to make the firearm operable; and 2. As used in this section, "temporarily inoperable" means that when the assault weapon is not in the direct control of the registered owner, it is stored using an integrated design feature or attachable accessory that will prevent the use of the weapon by an unauthorized user. This means that even if you were to take the firing pin out of your rifle, it is still considered operable if you have said firing pin still located inside your home. You must now register your weapons in Kentucky within 1 year (currently no registration is required by the state). a. Register with the Department of Kentucky State Police as the certified owner of each assault weapon that the person elects to continue to possess; and b. Store the weapon with devices which render the weapon temporarily inoperable, in accordance with subsection (2) of this section; Transfer the assault weapon to any person lawfully entitled to own or possess the firearm;Transfer the assault weapon to the Department of Kentucky State Police buyback program in accordance with subsection (3) of this section; or Render the assault weapon permanently inoperable. Kentucky State Police will offer a buyback program that will be funded by registrations fees of weapons.  237.104 Rights to acquire, carry, and use deadly weapons not to be impaired -- Seizure of deadly weapons prohibited -- Application of section. No person, unit of government, or governmental organization shall, during a period of disaster or emergency as specified in KRS Chapter 39A or at any other time, have the right to revoke, suspend, limit the use of, or otherwise impair the validity of the right of any person to purchase, transfer, loan, own, possess, carry, or use a firearm, firearm part, ammunition, ammunition component, or any deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.(2)  No person, unit of government, or governmental organization shall, during a period of disaster or emergency as specified in KRS Chapter 39A or at any other time, take, seize, confiscate, or impound a firearm, firearm part, ammunition, ammunition component, or any deadly weapon or dangerous instrument from any person.(3)  The provisions of this section shall not apply to the taking of an item specified in subsection (1) or (2) of this section from a person who is: (a)  Forbidden to possess a firearm pursuant to KRS 527.040;(b)  Forbidden to possess a firearm pursuant to federal law;(c)  Violating KRS 527.020;(d)  In possession of a stolen firearm;(e)  Using a firearm in the commission of a separate criminal offense; or(f)  Using a firearm or other weapon in the commission of an offense under KRS Chapter 150. Effective: July 12, 2006History: Created 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 240, sec. 7, effective July 12, 2006. This Bill is Unconstitutional This bill is unconstitutional and a render of the safety of law abiding citizens through out the state of Kentucky. The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution reads; "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The United States Constitution restricts legislative bodies from prohibiting firearm possession, or at the very least, the Amendment renders prohibitory and restrictive regulation presumptively unconstitutional. The 2nd Amendment allows citizens of the United States to defend themselves against criminals and against government tyranny.  Safety of Citizens against tyranny by means of Disarming Citizens by Government.  In 2012 Venezuela banned their citizens from possessing firearms and ammunition similar to the Red Flag Laws we see today. Under the new law only Military and Police are allowed to own them. Disarming law abiding citizens is a dangerous act that allows greater power to the government. Crime in Venezuela has multiplied since these laws have taken place. The violent crime rate, already high, soared. Almost 28,000 people were murdered in 2015 – with the homicide rate becoming the world’s highest. Within the past few years Venezuela military are law enforcement have killed thousands of citizens who have protested their laws and tried defending their rights. These same gun control laws were used in Nazi Germany against their own citizens. IT'S YOUR RIGHT Kentucky has always been a supportive state for firearms. Just this past year we became one of the many states to support the right of "Constitutional Carry" allowing law abiding citizens to conceal carry weapons across the whole state. Kentucky is ranked one of the top states in the US for gun ownership. It is your constitutional right as an American to be able to process and own a firearm. It is your right to have the means necessary to defend yourself and your family against evil and criminals. Criminals don't care about laws and bills, these bills only effect law abiding citizens. No matter what bills are brought forward, crime rates are always going to be there. The only thing that will change is your capability to defend yourself, and you having your own rights given to you at birth by this Nation, TAKEN AWAY. DO YOUR PART BY SIGNING/SHARING THIS PETITION!  KEEP KENTUCKY SAFE!  

Pound seizure is the legalized sale or seizure of shelter animals for the purpose of dissection, vivisection, or experimentation in research or education. Though seventeen states and the District of Columbia have banned pound seizure, Kentucky still allows municipalities and individual shelters to decide whether or not they will release animals to labs.  Aside from subjecting animals to unspeakably inhumane conditions, the practice of pound seizure challenges the integrity of shelters and loses the trust of those surrendering animals. Rather than risk their pet being surrendered to a research facility, many people abandon their pets, leading those animals to face starvation and other threats to their survival.  In addition to promoting increased rates of animal abandonment, pound seizure decreases shelters' commitment to securing adoptions for the animals in their care. With a market already available for their animals, shelters are less likely to seek out adopters, especially when an animal meets the specific requirements for a particular lab or institution. In order to abolish pound seizure in the state of Kentucky, the practice must be outlawed and not left to the discretion of municipalities. Shelter animals are deserving of the same dignity one would pay to a favorite four-legged companion. No shelter animal is safe while pound seizure is in effect.  

En Panamá hay medio millón de niños pobres, 200,000 niños viven en extrema pobreza. Muchos de estos niños solo tienen una madre que sirve como Madre y Padre a la vez. Estas guerreras Panameñas se levantan todos los días a las 4am con una sonrisa en cara para tomar un pésimo sistema de transporte y llegar a un trabajo donde les pagan mal. Ese es el Panamá que vivimos, el Panamá de dos países, el Panamá de los que tienen dinero y el Panamá de los que no tienen. Se acabo la clase media. Se acabo la justicia, y se acabo la solidaridad. Vivimos en un país donde las leyes se aplican para los pobres y no para los ricos. Pero de vez en cuando llega a Panamá un hombre rico, con un corazón grande. Esa es la historia del Sr. Charles Lucom, un hombre Norte Americano que hizo su plata con mucho esfuerzo y sudor en Panamá. Y cuando murió, decidió dejarle en su testamento a los Niños Pobres de Panamá un regalo. Les regaló la Hacienda Santa Mónica. La Hacienda Santa Mónica queda en Antón y colinda con Buenaventura y Juan Hombrón. La Hacienda tiene alrededor de 700 hectáreas de terreno (que valen más de $800 millones) y se le fue regalada a los niños pobres de Panamá por el Sr Lucom como dice su testamento. Como los niños pobres de Panamá no cuentan con un representante legal, el Sr Alberto Vallarino y su pandilla de abogados deciden asaltar a los 500,000 niños pobres de Panamá y robarles la Hacienda Santa Mónica. El Sr Vallarino con sus secuaces utilizaron el corrupto sistema Judicial Panameño y cambiaron el Testamento del Sr. Lucom y se quedaron con Hacienda Santa Mónica.  Queremos que se haga justicia y le devuelvan la Hacienda Santa Mónica a los niños pobres de Panamá como lo quiso el Sr. Lucom en su testamento. Gracias, Los niños pobres de Panamá.

I am writing to encourage Kentucky state legislators to pass a law banning Female  Genital Mutilation/cutting/circumcision (FGM/C)  in the state of Kentucky, as well as provide the resources needed to educate communities on this practice and assist victims that service providers  may encounter. FGM/C  is often seen in the United States as a problem that doesn't happen here. This practice occurs all over the world and is happening right here on American soil.  Statistics state that over 500,000 girls and women are at risk of FGM in the United States, and this is just an estimate. Due to the silence that surrounds FGM the number of victims could be much greater because it is something many victims are told not to discuss. FGM is a human rights violation, it is a practice that leaves victims with lifelong consequences and causes multiple physical complications. Initially a victim can suffer from shock, infection, blood loss and sometimes death. Most survivors suffer from frequent urinary tract infections, difficulty in childbirth, infertility, chronic pain, painful menstruation, painful intercourse and genital sores, many physical complications that a survivor must suffer with in silence. Women and girls are not just impacted in a physical way,  many suffer from the emotional impact that this trauma can cause. Since FGM is regularly done in a non-sterile environment without any form of pain control, it is often one of the most traumatic events they will ever experience in their lives. Women and girls are left dealing with anxiety, depression, frequent nightmares and flashbacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder. All these complications are worsened by the fact that communities are unaware of what FGM/C is and are not educated on how to help someone that has endured FGM/C, which forces survivors to suffer in silence. Right now, a federal law that bans the practice of FGM in the United States is in jeopardy. The first federal trial regarding the crime of FGM/C took place in Detroit and was dismissed by the presiding district court judge. In his ruling, the judge stated that FGM is a crime that should be handled at the state level. For girls at risk of this practice, this decision has put them in great jeopardy. Those who believe in the practice of FGM/C are empowered to think that if the federal law is not upheld, then the practice must not be wrong. Also like Kentucky, there are many states that have no laws regarding FGM/C. Kentucky is at risk of being a destination state where perpetrators can transport a girl to for FGM since there is no law in place that criminalizes the practice. I want no girl in the United States to undergo FGM/C or ever have to live with the consequences of this practice. Every state need to have a law. Please join me in the fight to pass a law in Kentucky that criminalizes FGM.

In light of the recent actions taken by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear infringing on the rights of churchgoers, we feel that it is necessary for him to be impeached. The Governor has powers during an emergency, but the measures that Governor Beshear has used are unconstitutional on many levels. The people of the Commonwealth deserve leadership that abides by constitutional law, not a dictator who uses executive powers he does not have. For the good of our beloved Commonwealth, we request that the Kentucky General Assembly thoroughly review Governor Beshear’s actions, and prosecute him as necessary. Furthermore, we also believe Mr. Beshear should be charged with malfeasance for his actions as well. He has proven he is unable to perform his duties as Governor of Kentucky, and should be treated accordingly.

I’m Jenifer Bass, a U.S. Navy veteran, who served for 10 years, one-third in the Asia-Pacific region. It was due to my travel between ports in countries like Japan and Thailand that I first encountered amerasian children, and descendants, of U.S. service members and civilian contractors previously stationed overseas. Filipino Amerasians are abandoned and neglected biracial children of Filipino mothers and American fathers (mostly members of the US armed forces). In the Philippines alone, more than 52,000-plus children were born and left behind after the U.S. Navy withdrew the last of its military personnel in 1992. Right now, the U.S. government won’t legally recognize them as U.S. citizens, despite having been born to an American parent. The Philippine Embassy won't help them either. As a former US colony between 1898 and 1946, the Philippines was home to millions of US soldiers and their dependents, even after its independence. Until 1992, the country hosted two of the largest US military facilities outside the US – Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, which played major roles during the Vietnam and first Gulf wars. In 1982 US Public Law 97-359, or the Amerasian Act of 1982, allowed children from Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand to move to the US and eventually become American citizens, but those who were from the Philippines were excluded from the law, an exclusion which was upheld by the US Senate on the basis that many Filipino Amerasians were “conceived from illicit affairs and prostitution”, and were born during peacetime. Today, there are estimated to be more than 250,000-plus children. Many amerasians are caught in a no-man’s land of discrimination and poverty -- most left behind by U.S. service members who are unaware that they’ve fathered children overseas. My friend John Haines is one of these sailors. In 2011, John discovered he was the father of a half-Filipino daughter, Jannette. He attempted to unite with her through the American Homecoming Act -- but was frustrated to learn that the Act did not apply to Filipino children of U.S. service members. Today, all John wants is to be united with his daughter and grandchildren. He, like so many other veterans are living with a “hole in their hearts” as they search for ways to unite with their children. There is hope. The Uniting Families Act of 2018, HR 1520, creates a specialized visa allowing military veterans and eligible civilian contractors to sponsor their children and grandchildren for U.S. citizenship. Currently, blood relationship must be proven by DNA test and the total number of visas granted will be capped at 5,000 each year. The issue takes on more urgency as so many of our veterans from our wars in Southeast Asia are getting older and dying each day -- without the chance to connect, or in some cases, reconnect with their own children. John’s daughter Jannette has already undertaken the DNA testing process, conclusively proving her relationship to her American father. All she’s waiting for is the opportunity to permanently unite with her father. There is a PBS documentary, "Left by the Ship" (2010), documenting a day in the life and the personal struggles as a Filipino amerasian on the never ending search for identity and their struggles to connect to their American military families. Please sign this petition to tell Congress that these families cannot wait another day. Pass the Uniting Families Act of 2017, HR 1520, now!