Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear lost two personal friends today, victims of the mass shooting in Louisville at Old National Bank, where ex-employee Connor Sturgeon opened fire and killed four people. Eight more were injured, including two police officers. Unlike past governors who have peppered their remarks with anti-gun talking points, Beshear’s comments were simple, short, and appropriate in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy.
“When we talk about praying, I hope people will,” Beshear said. “For those that we’re hoping can make it through the surgeries that they’re going through, then we got to do what we have done these last three years after everything; we’ve got to wrap our arms around these families,” he added.
"I had a very close friend that didn't make it today."
— ABC News (@ABC) April 10, 2023
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear makes emotional statement on the deadly mass shooting in Louisville that killed at least four and injured eight others. https://t.co/MtAZB9Pxci pic.twitter.com/OsNiCjiZW9
He also added a note about mental health.
“And for anybody who needs it, don’t be afraid to get some help,” he said. Gov. Beshear added that our bodies aren’t meant to absorb these traumas. He hopes the first responders, the employees at the bank, and everyone else who needs it will seek help after today. Beshear’s attorney general campaign was headquartered in the building that housed Old National, noting that he knows almost every employee there.
“That’s my bank,” he added.
Beshear said that he hopes all energy and attention will be focused on surrounding the victims and those afflicted with love and compassion.
Typically, these remarks would be pilloried by the Left since there are no calls to increase government power or swipes at Republicans. While Democrats gain little to no legislative ground on gun control, unless there’s a surrender moment on the GOP side, they fill the campaign coffers. Annoying and ghoulish as it may be, mass shootings usually help progressives fund their advocacy projects. Beshear’s remarks might still face derision from his side of the aisle, but being a Democrat, he might be able to ward off the attack dogs. The sad part is that he’s spot-on; this is the proper response to this shooting. More liberal critics will zero in on the fact that he’s a red-state Democrat, but that’s irrelevant here. This isn’t a spending bill or abortion—it was a mass shooting. His remarks were acceptable, but for liberals, if responses to these events aren’t soaked in misery, anti-gun talking points, and hatred of the GOP—it’s a terrible reaction.
BREAKING: Police are reporting “multiple casualties” as they respond to a shooting in a bank building in downtown Louisville. https://t.co/x59BjlVdZy
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 10, 2023
Breaking News: At least five people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the police said. https://t.co/tZlXRETt2C
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 10, 2023
5 dead, 6 injured including officer: Shooting in downtown Louisville at Old National Bank https://t.co/lcIC0sARzi
— Courier Journal (@courierjournal) April 10, 2023
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