Lee’s Executive Order For Purchase Of Firearms Imposes Some Requirements Already In Place In Many Counties

Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

The Executive Order issued by Governor Lee on April 11^th calls for enhancements in reporting by law enforcement agencies in order to mitigate the possibility of a mentally disturbed or dangerous person purchasing a gun and causing harm to others, as was the case in Nashville at The Covenant School earlier this year in Nashville. 

However, according to reports, the order imposes requirements that are already in place in many counties and have been used for years.

Lee’s Executive Order Number 100 titled “An Order Enhancing Protective Procedures For The Purchase Of Firearms” requires that “all relevant information” that law enforcement agencies receive with regard to a weapons purchase be transmitted within 72 hours of the entity (law enforcement agency) gaining the information.

This requirement is also extended to all Administrative Offices of The Courts, circuit, chancery and general sessions courts.

Additionally, the governor has tasked the TBI with a review of their system, to see if there could be improvements made that will allow for a more expedient transfer of relevant information to the Tennessee Instant Check System (TICS). 

Reports indicate that these entities, agencies and courts are already communicating this information often within a shorter period than 72 hours.

There has been speculation that the order would perhaps put a bit of a heavier burden on rural counties, due to less resources in those areas than in counties with urban centers. 

However, some of those rural counties have also stated that they too also communicate relevant information within a time frame often less than the 72-hour requirement imposed by Governor Lee’s order. 

The Governor announced this past week that a special session is to be called and his intent is to create what he would call “common sense solutions” to the issue of gun violence.

John Harris, Executive Director of Tennessee Firearms Association said, “A special session, in and of itself, is not only wrong but it will cost taxpayers a substantial amount to fund..” Harris also stated that Governor Lee “like a tyrant… ignores the plain language of the Second Amendment, he ignores the clear threshold requirements established by the United States Supreme Court in Bruen and he continues to demand that the Tennessee Legislature enact a Red Flag law.” 

The Bruen opinion states that people have a right to exercise their 2^nd Amendment rights in the same way they do all their other constitutional rights, with no additional requirement necessary to prove some special need. 

Should Governor Lee impose a requirement on those who for example, take an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors) for any reason, to prove that their use of the drug does NOT make them a threat to society, that would be a clear violation of Bruen, violating those people’s constitutional 2^nd Amendment right to carry a firearm for protection. (this is a proposal that has been suggested among several but is not included in the original 13 page piece of legislation initially proposed by the Governor)

We encourage all readers to contact their legislators and ask them to remind Governor Lee that his job is to defend the Constitutional rights of all Tennesseans, not strip them away. 

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.