In a decision released on May 9, 2024, in the matter of Terry Rainwaters, et al. v. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, et al., No: W2022-00514-COA-R3-CV, the Tennessee Court of Appeals held that a Tennessee statute (enacted by the Tennessee Legislature) on which the TWRA relied for its warrantless searches is unconstitutional as applied. That decision…
Author Archives: JohnHarris
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joins 21 other states to sue ATF over “engaged in business” rule
On May 2, 2024, the office of the Tennessee Attorney General announced that Tennessee and 21 other states had filed a federal civil action against the ATF seeking to block the ATF’s new rule which massively redefines “engaged in the business” in such a way as to potentially require hundreds of thousands of individuals and…
Tennessee Firearms Association sues ATF over the new “engaged in the business” rule
On May 1, 2024, the Tennessee Firearms Association had the honor to join the States of Texas (lead plaintiff), the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Utah, Jeffrey Tormey, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation and the Virginia Citizens Defense League in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Texas against the Bureau of…
Tennessee Legislature adjourns without passing strong pro-Second Amendment bills
The 2023-2024 Tennessee Legislative session ended on April 25, 2024. Many legislators posted on social media the same image proclaiming the end of the legislative session. Tennessee Firearms Association will do a detailed review of what did and did not pass once the time passes for Governor Lee to sign or veto these bills. Thus,…
The Tennessee Legislature’s passage of legislation to potentially increase number of firearms on school grounds
On April 23, 2023, the Tennessee Legislature passed Senate Bill 1325 / House Bill 1202 that was carried by Senator Paul Bailey and Representative Ryan Williams. The legislation would authorize under very limited circumstances a “person employed by an [sic] LEA [Local Education Agency] to possess and carry a concealed handgun on the grounds of…
Paul Harvey addressed gun control with truth that resonates today in Tennessee.
On April 9, 2023, Rep. Monty Fritts presented House Bill 2082, as amended, to the Tennessee House’s Civil Justice Committee. The bill passed in that committee with the House Amendment which is slightly different than the amendment adopted in the Senate Judiciary on Sen. Joey Hensley‘s companion bill, SB2502. The slight difference in the two…
TFA’s Federal Litigation Update
In the last few years, Tennessee Firearms Association and, since early 2023, Tennessee Firearms Foundation (www.tennesseefirearmsfoundation.org) have increasingly engaged in federal and state litigation. First, let’s address the question of why. Tennessee Firearms Association has now been in existence for approximately 29 years. We have worked hard, as a grassroots organization, on efforts to get…
TFA Joins Amicus Brief Supporting Rights of States to Defend Themselves
On February 23, 2024, the Tennessee Firearms Association and the Tennessee Firearms Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) joined U.S. Constitutional Rights Legal Defense Fund, Citizens United, Citizens United Foundation, The Presidential Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California, and the Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund to submit an amicus brief in…
Tennessee Legislators are considering the “Bruen Basis” for proposed legislation.
On February 6, 2024, Rep. William Lamberth presented his House Bill 1640. Rep. Lamberth seeks to expand the circumstances under which access to firearms (but not other deadly weapons) is prohibited with respect to individuals who have been “adjudicated as a mental defective or judicially committed to a mental institution.” The restriction applies even to…
Tennessee Legislature has filed or taken action on 143 bills so far in 2024 that are tracked by TFA
The Tennessee Legislature, as an entity, has proven the inability to take into consideration the United States Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, No. 20-843. In Bruen, the Supreme Court held that any existing or proposed laws that do not have a national historical tradition as of 1791…