Nine Policies Threatening Public Safety in Tennessee All Fail As 2017 Legislative Session Ends
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Volunteers with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded the defeat of nine dangerous gun policies, including:
- H.B. 40 and S.B. 147, which would have allowed people to openly carry loaded handguns in public without a permit or gun safety training.
- H.B. 493 and S.B 131, which would have allowed people to carry loaded handguns in public openly or concealed without a permit or gun safety training, expanded the current guns on campus law, and made several other dangerous changes to Tennessee’s gun laws.
- H.B. 884 and S.B. 1341, which would have allowed concealed carry permit holders to carry hidden, loaded handguns in the same manner and in the same sensitive places as highly trained law enforcement officials – for example, allowing students and visitors to carry guns on colleges campuses; allowing guns to be carried in elementary, middle and high schools; and allowing guns to be carried in other sensitive areas across Tennessee.
- H.B. 1176 and S.B. 339, which would have virtually eliminated the penalties associated with being convicted of carrying a loaded handgun in public without a permit in Tennessee – effectively allowing people to carry loaded handguns in public without a permit or gun safety training.
- H.B. 1006 and S.B. 861, which would have dangerously extended Tennessee’s Stand Your Ground law to provide broad new criminal immunity, including from arrest and prosecution, to alleged shooters.
- H.B. 745 and S.B. 975, which would have further expanded Tennessee’s already dangerous guns on campus law.
- H.B. 367 and S.B. 386, which would have allowed violent felons to regain their ability to possess firearms almost immediately after their maximum sentence had expired.
- H.B. 561 and S.B. 933, which would have provided unprecedented legal protections to the firearms industry while punishing local businesses for making basic business decisions.
- H.B. 1407 and S.B. 146, which would have dangerously expanded a Tennessee law prohibiting state funds, personnel, or property from being used to help enforce federal firearm laws.
Throughout the 2017 legislative season, the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action launched a successful campaign to defeat these bills. The group held an advocacy day at the General Assembly, testified at hearings and drove hundreds of calls and emails to lawmakers asking them to oppose the reckless measures.
STATEMENT FROM LINDA MCFADYEN-KETCHUM, VOLUNTEER WITH THE TENNESSEE CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“We are proud and relieved that our lawmakers rejected nine dangerous gun bills that would have threatened public safety in our state. Measures that would have forced our campuses to allow more employees and even students and visitors to carry guns on campus, dismantled Tennessee’s handgun carry permitting system, expanded the already-deadly Stand Your Ground law, restored the gun rights of criminals convicted of violent felonies, and forced guns into places where it would be dangerous to allow them have no place in our state. Tennesseans know that upholding the Second Amendment goes hand-in-hand with common-sense gun laws, and we will continue to step up and fight to preserve our history of responsible gun ownership. Together, we can work together and use our voices to keep our children safe for years to come.”