LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Public safety took center stage during the final Republican gubernatorial debate in Kentucky.

Three leading candidates — Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Eric Deters, and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles — participated in the debate, co-hosted by WDRB News and WDKY in Lexington, Kentucky. Kelly Craft, another candidate in the GOP field, declined an invitation to the debate.

Some of the debate centered around public safety in schools. 

Nearly one month ago to the day, Louisville experienced its deadliest mass shooting in decades when a gunman opened fire inside the Old National Bank downtown, killing five people.

The family of the shooter wants the gun he used, an AR-15 rifle, destroyed. But right now in Kentucky, any gun used in a crime will be auctioned off by Kentucky State Police and has the potential to return to the city's streets. 

The three candidates were asked about the law and whether or not they think it should be changed to allow guns used in homicides and the like destroyed instead of being sent to an auction.

Deters: "I support the destruction of weapons that are used in gun violence. For example, that gun in Louisville, the concept that the gun could be resold is crazy."

Cameron: "I understand that the mayor and Kentucky State Police may be coming to some kind of agreement to make sure that gun is not resold, and I support that decision if they come to that agreement."

Quarles: "But if you go to the state police website, like you just showed, there are benefits with the financial resources. Let's not forget, this money can be used for body armor, this money can be used for more body cams as well."

School safety is also top of mind for the candidates. But not just over weapon detection systems. There is a state law that requires an armed school resource officer in every building, but many districts still don't have them.

When asked, Quarles and Deters said they'd be open to arming teachers.

Quarles: "I think that criminals, by definition, break the law no matter what the law is. So I think that it is the public safety, it could be a stopgap until we have an SRO in every public school."

Deters: "Allow, this just makes no sense, allow veterans, teachers, police officers, and those that are properly trained to volunteer."

Cameron was not directly asked the same question, but when pressed on a staffing shortage of police across the state, he said he would be a recruiter and an advocate for the police.

"Andy Beshear has not done that over the last three years," he said. "And I'm gonna be a governor that's in our schools, talking about the noble profession of law enforcement."

Cameron was also asked about his role in the Breonna Taylor investigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice's investigation, which looked into the problematic warrant that led to the raid of Taylor's apartment, saw four officers charged. Cameron's investigation only led to charges for one officer.

Cameron insists he was only tasked with investigating what happened at her apartment.

"And we said in the beginning, that is what we were tasked with, that is what we were charged with, was looking at what occurred on the night of her death, and I am proud of the work that our office did in that case," he said.

Kentucky's primary election is set for May 16.

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You can watch Tuesday's debate in full in the video player below.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Eric Deters, and Ryan Quarles go head-to-head in final debate.

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