Kentucky lawmakers proved that when a governor uses his veto pen to undermine citizens’ rights and punish a lawful American industry, the legislature can still step in and do its job. By overriding Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of House Bill 78 and House Bill 312, the General Assembly delivered two unmistakable pro-Second Amendment victories, one protecting the firearms industry from political lawfare and the other affirming that young adults do not forfeit their right to bear arms simply because anti-gun politicians want to treat them like second-class citizens.
On April 14, the Kentucky General Assembly overrode Beshear’s vetoes of House Bill 78 and House Bill 312, enacting two significant pro-Second Amendment measures.
HB 78, titled “AN ACT relating to firearms liability protections,” creates liability protections for firearms manufacturers and sellers against specified legal actions arising from the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearms or ammunition.
HB 312, titled “AN ACT relating to concealed firearms and deadly weapons,” authorizes the Kentucky State Police to issue provisional carry licenses to young adults ages 18 to 20.
The override votes were decisive: HB 78 cleared on override by 80-19 in the House and 31-6 in the Senate, while HB 312 passed on override by 81-18 in the House and 28-9 in the Senate.
In a statement released after the votes, CCRKBA praised Kentucky legislators for overriding both vetoes and argued that lawmakers had rejected political hostility toward the Second Amendment in favor of common sense and equal treatment under the law. The group said HB 78 protects the lawful firearms industry from being blamed for criminal misuse of its products, while HB 312 addresses discrimination against an entire class of legal adults who can already serve in the military, get married, start businesses, and run for office.
“We are both delighted and proud of the Kentucky legislators who returned to Frankfort for these important votes,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said. “By overriding Gov. Beshear’s vetoes, lawmakers in the Bluegrass State have exercised common sense by rejecting political nonsense, which prefers to penalize a lawful industry for criminal misuse of its products, while also practicing age discrimination against young adults by denying them their full rights of citizenship.”
Gottlieb did not stop there. He argued that what happened in Kentucky should serve as a warning to gun-control activists who continue trying to punish the firearms business for crimes committed by others and to deny young adults the full exercise of rights that attach to citizenship.
“What happened in Kentucky should be considered a signal to the anti-rights extremists to stop blaming an entire industry for the country’s violent crime problem,” Gottlieb said, “and to also stop restricting the rights of an entire age class, which can serve in the military, start businesses, get married and run for office.”
That same point was echoed by Kentucky State Rep. TJ Roberts, who announced on X that the veto had been overridden and, because of the bill’s emergency clause, HB 78 took effect immediately. Roberts called the measure a direct answer to politically motivated “lawfare” campaigns aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry by holding law-abiding manufacturers and sellers responsible for the criminal acts of third parties. In one of the more memorable lines from his post, Roberts wrote, “We don’t sue Ford for drunk drivers, we shouldn’t sue the Second Amendment out of existence.”
Roberts also framed the bill as a state-level clarification that brings Kentucky law into line with federal protections by shielding firearm and ammunition manufacturers, sellers, and trade associations from liability for acts they had no control over. He thanked Sen. Aaron Reed, pro-gun advocates, grassroots supporters, and Kentucky gun owners for helping push the bill across the finish line, declaring, “This is your win! This is the Constitution’s win!!”
VETO OVERRIDDEN AND FILED WITH SECRETARY OF THE STATE: HB 78 IS NOW THE LAW OF THE LAND!
It is an honor to announce that the Kentucky House and Senate have officially overridden Governor Beshear’s veto of HB 78. Because of the bill’s emergency clause, this protection for our… pic.twitter.com/4JuYaJsU8v
— TJ Roberts (@realTJRoberts) April 14, 2026
Beshear justified the veto of HB 78 by mischaracterizing the bill as prioritizing “immunity for gun dealers over the safety of the Commonwealth’s citizens,” and said he was vetoing it in honor of Tommy Elliott and four other victims of the 2023 Louisville mass shooting. In his HB 312 veto message, Beshear argued that Kentuckians under 21 face other age-based legal restrictions and said laws setting those minimums are meant “to protect our youth.” He also claimed HB 312 would allow “minors under age 21” to carry concealed deadly weapons even though federal law restricts handgun purchases from FFLs by that age group.
Kentucky lawmakers plainly were not persuaded.
Neither were gun-rights groups, which saw both vetoes as part of the same larger problem: punishing the law-abiding while excusing policies that do nothing to stop violent criminals.
That was especially true with HB 78, where the National Shooting Sports Foundation focused on the growing use of litigation as a backdoor weapon against the firearms industry. NSSF noted that HB 78, which it described as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Clarification Act, reinforces protections associated with the federal PLCAA and is aimed at stopping the sort of politically motivated lawsuits designed to bankrupt lawful manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for crimes committed by third parties.
“Kentucky’s legislators are standing with the rule of law, and this veto override corrects the wrong Governor Beshear set into motion when he vetoed this commonsense legislation,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Governor Beshear chose to stand with special interest gun control groups that would abuse our courts to advance gun control legislation through litigation. Kentucky’s legislators stood with the rule of law, that those who commit heinous criminal acts are the ones who should be held responsible.”
Keane also offered one of the sharpest lines in either release: “Members of the firearm industry are no more responsible for the actions of criminals than Kentucky’s bourbon distillers are responsible for drunk driving deaths.”
Taken together, the override of HB 78 and HB 312 amounts to major victories for gun owners in Kentucky. One bill protects a lawful industry from being targeted through politically motivated lawsuits. The other recognizes that 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old adults do not stop being citizens when the subject turns to the right to bear arms.
Beshear may have had the veto pen, but Kentucky’s legislature had the final word. And that final word was that lawful businesses should not be blamed for criminal violence, and legal adults should not be denied the right to bear arms because doing so fits a political narrative. That is a win for Kentucky, and it is the kind of win gun owners in other states should want to see repeated.
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About Duncan Johnson:
Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor to AmmoLand News and serves as part of the editorial team responsible for AmmoLand’s daily gun-rights reporting and industry coverage.
