Pro-Gun Bill in Tennessee Might Become a Little Less Pro-Gun

I’ve heard some refer to Tennessee as the Texas of the South. No, Texas may have fought with the Confederacy, but it’s not part of the South. 

Anyway, the reason for this is because it’s a very pro-gun state, which is impressive considering the number of sizeable urban communities within the state. Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Clarkesville, and Murfreesboro all have populations over 140,000 people, yet the state is still pretty reliably pro-gun. It’s strange.

So a pro-gun bill being introduced in the state House isn’t unusual. It’s good news, of course, but not odd.

However, one such bill is becoming a little less pro-gun.

A West Tennessee Republican sponsoring legislation to widen gun-carry rights is expected to bring the bill even as the state appeals a court ruling that found part of current law for carrying weapons violates the state Constitution.

The bill is likely to be changed, though, to assuage concerns about the authority of police to stop and question someone who is openly carrying a weapon, for instance, a rifle near a school or along a busy street.

House Bill 2064, sponsored by Rep. Chris Todd of Madison, is scheduled to be heard by the Criminal Justice Subcommittee Wednesday. He had not filed an amendment by late Monday, and he would not confirm whether he’ll be presenting it that day.

Todd’s bill would change a state law prohibiting people from carrying a weapon “with the intent to go armed.” It also would legalize carrying weapons in state parks.

A section of the bill allowing a person to get their guns back five years after a domestic violence conviction could be removed.

Todd confirmed he’s had “productive” negotiations with law enforcement officials, “understanding what their concerns are just from a day-to-day standpoint out in the field.”

Critics of the bill say it’s unusual for a lawmaker to try to pass legislation wrapped in litigation.

Tennessee Moms Demand Action, an advocacy group for responsible gun laws, said lawmakers would be re-arming convicted stalkers and domestic abusers “while recklessly codifying a dangerous court decision without meaningful guardrails” if they pass the measure.

Now, no one wants to take up for stalkers or domestic abusers. This isn’t exactly great behavior, to be sure, and there’s a reason there was such little opposition to them being prohibited in the first place.

But the bill, as it currently stands, requires them to keep their noses clean for five years. For someone who is a consistent, chronic problem, that’s virtually impossible for them to manage. For someone who screwed up and learned from it, though, it’s a different matter entirely.

Let’s be honest, also, about stalking. Some people display stalkerish behavior because they’re socially clueless and seem to think acting obsessively is a dating strategy. It doesn’t help that some movies have, over the years, seemingly perpetuated this. As a result, some people, such as those with autism, use these unfortunate examples as something to emulate while “masking” their autism.

Does that person need to be disarmed for life because they didn’t know which examples were good and which weren’t? 

Unfortunately, it sounds like Todd is going to amend that part out of the bill. It’s a shame.

That said, it’s still a pro-gun bill, and it’s one that should pass. It’s possible that Todd is willing to amend it just to make sure the other aspects of the bill get passed. Don’t leave a poison pill in there if you don’t have to.

But it doesn’t mean anyone has to like it.

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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