In 2016 Tennessee passed two new statutes with bi-partisan support that addressed the issue of whether Tennessee’s private schools, both K-12 and “higher education”, could establish their own policies with respect to whether and to what extent civilian possession of firearms would be prohibited on their campuses. These laws are codified at Tennessee Code Annotated…
Author Archives: JohnHarris
Bill Lee – how broken promises place Tennessee families and children at risk.
Bill Lee is just months into his second term as Governor for the state of Tennessee. Last fall, in an essentially unchallenged campaign for a second term as governor, he ran a television ad in which he talked about what he has done the last 4 years “like we said we would.” That advertisement raised…
How many Tennessee statutes constitute federal civil rights violations?
Actually, a better question might be how many Tennessee Governors and Legislators are proposing, passing and refusing to repeal statutes that are federal civil rights violations. Let’s just say … too many. In 2020, Governor Bill Lee announced that he was introducing “constitutional carry” legislation in the Tennessee Legislature. That legislation was introduced but obviously…
Tennessee Senate Judiciary – the inconvenient truth of constitutional stonewalling
The Tennessee Senate Judiciary, under the oversight of Chairman Todd Gardenhire, took up Senate Bill 1503 on March 21, 2023. The Senate Judiciary’s hearing on this bill evidences a cavernous void of constitutional stewardship by at least four Senate Republicans and two Senate Democrats on the committee. The Senate Judiciary is appointed entirely by Lt.…
Will the first day of Spring bring a change in the Tennessee Senate’s leadership?
March 20, 2023, is the first day of Spring. Other than the weather, what changes might it bring? Some are wondering whether it will lead to a consideration of if and so when there should be a change in Tennessee’s Lt. Governor. Why some might ask? On March 8, 2023, a story broke on a…
Who should 2nd Amendment advocates support as the next Tennessee Lt. Governor?
Two of the most powerful policy makers in the State of Tennessee are the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate’s Lt. Governor. Some may believe that the Governor is the state’s most powerful policy maker but under the state constitution, the office of governor is one of the weakest in the nation. …
Bill Lee’s administration oppressively working to preserve existing infringements on 2nd Amendment rights and create new ones.
Following the United States Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen in which it struck down a New York handgun permit law as violating the Second Amendment, some may have thought that finally Tennessee would eradicate 2nd Amendment and civil rights infringements on the rights of the people to…
Sen. John Stevens shares key mandate from US Supreme Court Bruen decision with Senate Judiciary
In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court released it’ s opinion in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen in which it struck down a New York handgun permit law as violating the Second Amendment. In that opinion, written by Justice Thomas, the Court held that a state cannot constitutionally prohibit a citizen from…
Tennessee administration officials reject plain holding of US Supreme Court in Bruen
On February 28, 2023, Rep. John Ragan presented House Bill 1385 to the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. The objective of the bill was set forth in a single 4 line paragraph – it was to establish a statutory definition of the ambiguous phrase found in Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1307(a)(1) (and other places) – “with…
State of Texas and GOA sue BATF over “pistol brace” rule – where is the State of Tennessee – UPDATED
On February 9, 2023, the State of Texas, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation and Brady Brown sued the BATF seeking to have the ATF’s “pistol brace” rule declared unconstitutional. (See complaint below). This is one of several such lawsuits across the nation. However, this one is noteworthy because the State of Texas, represented…