The Governor called the Tennessee Legislature back into special session effective August 10, 2020. Based on the scope of the call, it does not appear that the Governor included the passage of constitutional carry in the scope of the issues that the Legislature can consider during this limited period.
That is not a surprise since Governor Lee has demonstrated nothing to prove that he is a strong supporter of the rights recognized and protected by the 2nd Amendment (or for that matter the 7th Amendment).
Tennessee and the nation are seeing the highest demand for firearms and the highest volume of new firearms purchasers since perhaps the election of Barack Obama. We are seeing real threats to lives and property in Tennessee from riots and protests such as have damaged significant parts of Nashville. We are seeing an increased interest of citizens who are looking for “everyday carry” firearms and who want to be able to carry firearms for self-defense. Citizens are demanding and have a right to true constitutional carry laws in Tennessee. The Governor’s intentional omission of this issue may well be just another indication that the 2nd Amendment is not as much of a priority to him as perhaps “business profits” may be.
Despite this statewide demand by citizens for increased opportunities to exercise the rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution as well as the Tennessee Constitution, the Governor seemed only interested in protecting the capitol from protestors and in impairing the 7th Amendment rights of Tennesseans (as he has previously done when he formed Tennesseans for Economic Growth in 2011) who are harmed by the negligence of medical providers and businesses related to Covid transmissions.
So, our constitutionally protected rights are once again ignored. We will have to wait and see what comes with the 2021 legislative cycle and a few new legislators to fill the voids of several incumbent Republicans who lost their re-election bids in the August primaries. But we do not have to sit idly by waiting for next February. We can and should be out now engaging these legislators without our demands for Constitutional carry.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.