KY man sues for right to carry a gun, says non-violent felony shouldn’t bar ownership

A Shelby County man is suing the top law enforcement officials in Kentucky and the United States, arguing that his non-violent felony conviction from 1997 should not prevent him from owning a gun.

Hubert Ford filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman.

Ford says a Kentucky law that prohibits him from possessing a firearm violates his Second Amendment rights.

He was convicted of felony fraud in 1997, but he argues that because the crime was non-violent, it should not bar him from owning a gun.

Ford says state law should differentiate between non-violent and violent criminals and consider whether the individual is truly dangerous.

His lawsuit comes a month after the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling that said people charged with a felony could not be prosecuted for carrying a firearm.

The issue surfaced when Jecory Lamont Fraizer, 41, asked a Jefferson County judge in October 2023 to dismiss his felon-in-possession charge, claiming Kentucky law violated his Second Amendment rights.

Fraizer cited a three-year-old U.S. Supreme Court precedent from New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

That ruling struck down New York’s restrictive handgun licensing law requiring “proper cause” to carry a handgun in public, affirming the right to carry a loaded handgun in public for self-defense.

The decision allowed states to expand gun ownership protections as long as they aligned with federal regulations. The Jefferson County judge agreed with Fraizer and dismissed his indictment in March 2024.

However, the state court of appeals said the judge made an error in her historical analysis and ruled that Congress has the authority to “disarm those that it deems dangerous.”

A hearing date has not yet been set for Ford’s case.

This article has been carefully fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and eliminate any misleading information. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our content.