The Tennessee House of Representatives passed House Bill 1735 on April 21, 2022, to allow citizens 18-20 who can legally possess a handgun (and meet other conditions) to obtain an enhanced handgun permit or to carry under the 2021 permitless carry law based on an amendment adopted by the House.
The bill passed the House on a vote of 64 yes votes, 28 no votes and two legislators present but not voting. Several House Republicans voted against the bill while newly announced Independent (formerly a Democrat) Rep. John Mark Windle voted for the bill as he has a long history of doing. The House Republicans who voted against the bill (but who often claim to be 2nd Amendment supporters) were:
Charlie Baum
John Gillespie
Patsy Hazlewood
Sabi Kumar
Eddie Mannis
Mark White
Sam Whitson
Several of these House Republicans are likely seeking re-election and any re-election bids may need to be considered in light of this antii-2nd Amendment vote.
The legislative history shows that the legislation is now transferred to the Senate, but the Senate had previously sent the companion bill to “general sub” which may indicate that the bill will not be considered on the Senate side unless action is taken in the Senate to bring the bill to the floor.
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