Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov & canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Governor Bill Lee signed a new law on Tuesday that prevents cities and municipalities in Tennessee from creating or enforcing red flag gun laws.
The legislation was carried by State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16) and State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69).
According to the bill summary, the law will preempt “the entire field of legislation regarding extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) to the exclusion of all county, city, town, municipality, or metropolitan government law, ordinances, resolutions, enactments, or regulation.”
Extreme risk protection orders, also known as “red flag gun laws”, allow courts to seize firearms from an individual who is considered a potential threat to themselves or others, most commonly at the request of law enforcement or family members.
Sponsors of the legislation noted that it was necessary to protect Tennessee’s citizens from possible overreach in the area of gun control. Proponents argued that these laws can potentially take away an individual’s Second Amendment rights without accurately assessing a person’s mental state or behavior.
Opponents of the measure argued that local governments should be able to decide for themselves dependent on their own needs.
Republican Senators Art Swann (R-Maryville-District 2) and Page Walley (R-Savannah-District 26) voted against the bill on the Senate floor.
In the House, Representative Sam Whitson (R-Franklin-District 65) voted alongside Democrats to oppose the bill.
HB2035/SB2763 will next be assigned a Public Chapter Number and will go into effect immediately, the public welfare requiring it.
2 Responses
I am shocked !!1 It appears that Governor Lee finally did something right . Since this is so much out of the ordinary for a RINO , I wonder what is really going on . Could there be a ” hidden agenda ” ? I am that so distrustful of politicians so I am very skeptical of even an apparent victory .
Great news. Unlike the previous post I am not surprised the Governor signed it. My only hope is there will be more to protect locals from illegals and transplant agendas to change the small towns of Tennessee.