Tennessee Bills Focus On Gun Owners

NASHVILLE -- Tennessee legislators have filed a rash of new bills to allow guns in state and local parks, restaurants serving alcohol and even schools and also limiting public access to lists of gun-carry permit holders.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who is sponsoring two of the gun bills, said Thursday he believes the measures stand a much better chance of passing this year as a result of the new GOP majority in the legislature.

Supported by the Tennessee Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association, lawmakers have tried for years to pass bills allowing gun-carry permit holders to take their guns into places serving alcohol as long as they are not drinking themselves, but the legislation was killed in House subcommittees controlled by Democrats.

This year, with the state House reorganized under a nominal GOP majority, the volume of bills loosening restrictions on where permit-holders may take guns has sharply increased. So has the scope of places the bills propose to allow the guns, including state and local public parks, colleges and universities and potentially into high schools.

There is also a renewed push this year on bills to make confidential the identities of gun-carry permit holders at the state Department of Safety, the licensing agency, and to make it a crime for anyone, including media organizations, to publish identities of anyone with the permits. Currently, applications bear a disclaimer that information submitted is subject to the state public records law.

It will be up to the states to slow the Obama administrations drive toward disarming the American people. The recent Tenth Amendment discussions are a good sign. Every thing we know about Barack Obama’s anti-gun goals has been confirmed by his selection of anti-gunners for his administration.

Obama now controls the government. He controls federal law enforcement, from his notoriously gun hating and ethically challenged A.G., through BATF, OSHA, EPA, etc.

The latter can be used to harrass ranges and shooters regarding issues about toxic properties of lead to proper ventilation in indoor facilities. Nothing will be overlooked by Obama’s government in the effort to make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Eric Holder is on record as not believing that the Second Amendment applies to civilians.

State lawmakers and some law enforcement personnel, sheriffs in particular, already recognize that federal agencies will be coming into their states and have reminded them that sheriffs are the chief law enforcement authorities. Federal authorities are on notice not to over reach their authority.

I tend to be totally suspicious of government, especially the federal government. This administration gives me more than enough reason for that suspicion and they haven’t been in power two months yet.

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