Tennessee must eliminate gun free zones now. How many more must needlessly die before our elected officials take action?
On July 16, the state of Tennessee, its citizens, came under attack in yet another episode of a multivictim act of terrorism in an unnecessary “gun free zone.” Another set of gun free zones intentionally created by elected officials and their appointees in the name of their god of Political Correctness. The lives of citizens are in clear and present danger.
This State and this nation were founded on principles. Among those principles is that mankind has certain unalienable rights including the right of life. Within the scope of the right of life is the fundamental right to protect our lives and to do so by use of deadly force if necessary. Related to that specific right is the right to own arms. Arms suitable for the citizens, as the ultimate masters of government, to control government but also arms suitable for self-defense.
However, a fundamental right to own and possess arms is meaningless if a government needlessly but intentionally creates and allows to exist “gun free zones”. Recent history has proven that these gun free zones are nothing more than death traps and killing fields for the innocent. They do nothing but infringe the rights of the citizens to keep, bear and even wear arms. These gun free zones exist for no legitimate reason within the scope of governmental powers other than to bow to the god of Political Correctness. The terrorists and those on suicide missions are not deterred by gun free zones. To the contrary, the mere existence of gun free zones effectively maximizes the carnage and create slaughterhouses of the unarmed innocent.
Tennessee Firearms Association has worked for 2 decades to eliminate gun free zones. When Republicans were the minority party in control of state government, they claimed to champion the 2nd Amendment and the rights of the individual. Since 2010, the Republicans have, as a party, dominated state government as the only relevant party. So, what of the promises?
Since 2010 the Republican super majority, under the control of a feckless governor and an oligarchy of a small handful of Republican legislative leaders, has effectively ignored and in some instances stonewalled efforts to remove the risks created by the mere existence of gun free zones. Certainly, there are some in the Republican caucus that are truly the heroes of the citizens on these issues and who are working, normally against leadership, to restore and protect our rights but they are at this point too few in number to effectively overcome the complete dominion of the oligarchy of a few leaders. That must change. Lives are at stake.
Tennesseans must demand that these gun free zones be eliminated. That time has long since past. Too many innocent people have died as a result of the refusal of the handful of leaders who dominate state government to act with courage to remove the infringements on our rights and to banish the concept of gun free zones from this state.
There are legislators, in both parties, who are willing to sponsor legislation now to banish gun free zones.
There are legislators, in both parties, who are willing to eliminate the cost and need that citizens obtain permission slips – merely to generate revenue for the state – in order to exercise their fundamental rights.
The question is whether Tennesseans have enough constitutionally principled legislators to overcome the stonewalling and diversions that can be expected from the governor and the oligarchical legislative leadership.
Tennesseans deserve to have these bills introduced and debated on the floors of both houses. Tennesseans deserve to know through the sunshine of open legislative debate and action which existing legislators are part of the problem and which are not. We need to know which legislators are accepting and even encouraging of the existence of gun free zones.
But, Tennesseans do not have to suffer the delay of legislative action. Many of these gun free zones exist in Tennessee because government officials, like the governor, authorize and tolerate government facilities to operate as gun free zones. Those zones – those arising as a result of the political correctness of a handful in leadership – could be eliminated immediately without the need for legislative action. We must demand that the state “take down that wall” of needlessly established gun free zones on state and local property today.
Other gun free zones exist because businesses and commercial interests choose to create gun free zones on their properties. Not a single one of those businesses would persist in existence if Tennesseans stopped purchasing their goods and services. Consequently, those gun free zones could be eliminated immediately without the need for legislative action. But it will require determined and intentional decisions to be made by Tennesseans as to where to spend their money.
Tennesseans do not have to be sheep waiting to be needlessly slaughtered in the gun free zones. It is time that we, as Tennesseans, do more to demand that our right to life and that our rights to keep, bear and wear arms be fully restored. It is time that we demand that the elected officials “tear down that wall” of existing laws and regulations which create these gun free zones.
You can help. Get involved with the Tennessee Firearms Association as it continues it battle over the last 2 decades to remove these infringements and to restore your rights by in this instance calling for the abolition of gun free zones in Tennessee.
If you don’t act, then the next life to be sacrificed in a gun free zone to the god of Political Correctness may be yours, your spouses or your children. Is that something you are willing to accept?
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