Last night, the Tennessee House Finance, Ways & Means Committee voted to advance HB 1264/SB 705, a bill which would weaken the training requirement for a handgun carry permit. Earlier in the day, gun safety instructors publicly opposed the bill in a press conference at the Capitol, arguing that the weakened training requirement would threaten public safety. The bill is on the agenda to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee today at 1:00pm.
HB 1264/SB 705 would allow people to carry a handgun in public after watching just a 90-minute online video course, instead of the live-fire safety training that is currently required. This would allow a person to carry a handgun in public even if they have never fired a gun before.
Gun safety instructors aren’t alone in their opposition to this bill. In fact, 79 percent of recent voters oppose weakening the safety training currently required under Tennessee law, including 75 percent of Republicans.
Volunteers with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will attend the hearing and will be available for interviews.