In the wake of the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers in Minnesota over the weekend, Scripps News spoke with Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg about his own experiences with political violence.
While he was running for the mayor's seat in 2022, a man entered his campaign office and began shooting. One of the shots came so close as to graze Greenberg's sweater.
Greenberg told Scripps News the shootings in Minnesota brought back those memories.
"I was fortunate to survive an assassination attempt when an individual walked into my campaign office and fired six gun shots directly at me from close range. How I survived, I'll never know. But every time I hear about one of these, my heart drops and it brings me right back to that day."
"Just as when President Trump survived his assassination attempt, and when Governor Shapiro had the act of violence against his home — we need to come together as a country and put an end to this."
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Greenberg says the ease of access to guns in America makes the risks of violence of all kinds higher than it ought to be.
"Our country has to have the conversation about who has the right to buy what type of guns and when. We have far too many illegal guns on the street. It's far too easy to buy guns," Greenberg said. "The night before my assassination attempt, the individual was outside my home and his gun jammed. So the next morning, 9:00 a.m., he went to a pawn shop. At 10:00 a.m. he was in my office shooting at me."
It's far too easy for people that shouldn't have guns to own guns. There's a lot we can do to protect the lawful ownership of guns to ensure that hunters and others have ample ability to purchase guns."
Watch the full interview with Greenberg in the video above.
