Can I legally remove the steering wheel and airbag on a 93 RX-7 in Kentucky?

On September 1, 1998, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 finally goes into effect. The law required that all cars and light trucks sold in the United States have air bags on both sides of the front seat.

That is the year they became MANDATORY for driver and passenger in the front seat.

However, if a vehicle came from the factory with an airbag it can not be removed. Well, obviously it can, but then your vehicle wouldn't pass inspection and insurance has a loop hole to get out of paying.

Any mods done to your vehicle that might cause more serious injuries if removed might give the insurer just cause to deny or limit your payout. Doesn't matter if it was legally required or not. If it was installed, it must be working unless it was broken (should have it fixed). Insurance companies will do all they can to limit payouts - that's how they profit.

No.

Airbags were required before 1998. What you think you heard is wrong. You may have misheard someone saying when PASSENGER side airbags became required. Also, there were some years were cars were required to have either airbags or automatic seatbelts, but not both, so even if there were legal 1993 cars without airbags, that doesn't mean that they were not required for your car (if the cars without them had automatic seatbelts and yours didn't).

In the U.S., it is illegal to remove or disable the front airbags (drivers or passengers) in a car of any model year for which they were required. The only exceptions involve medical conditions that make it unsafe to sit behind an airbag. Additionally, the states in the U.S. prohibit operating a vehicle from which any federally required safety equipment (including airbags, seatbelts, headlights, etc.) has been removed. If you remove the air bag no one will really know about it until you have an accident. If you are injured then I can guarantee your insurance company will deny any claims due to the fact you removed the air bag. Also if you sell the vehicle and the buyer has an accident you can be held liable for any injuries they suffered because you removed the air bag. If you have a good reason for removing it you can apply to NHTSA for permission to deactivate the air bag module.

if they find out, they will not cover you, and if the vehicle is used by someone else or sold and the safety features are not installed, you could face serious penalties if not jail time.

Yes you can and yes they will. Nobody is ever going to know.