From all observable facts, Tennessee Republican controlled Legislature, or perhaps more accurately the Republican Leadership, seems to have a mission to stonewall, defeat or block any Second Amendment proposals once again. Certainly, the Republican Legislative Leadership is bolstered by its friends in Bill “Lame Duck” Lee’s administration given the predictable anti-Second Amendment testimony from Elizabeth…
Author Archives: JohnHarris
Second Amendment In Tennessee – May 13, 2025
Tennessee Firearms Association is hosting a Second Amendment in Tennessee free event on May 13, 2025, in Crossville, Tennessee. This will be an opportunity to join us for a discussion about the status of the Second Amendment in Tennessee and to ask questions in an open forum. We are inviting Legislators to join us as…
Senate Judiciary – is it now a “gun free” zone?
Over the last three decades, the Senate Judiciary has been the primary committee in the Senate through which almost all Second Amendment themed bills must pass. Indeed, it has proven particularly under the chairmanship of Todd Gardenhire and previously Senator Brian Kelsey to be the Biblical “valley of the shadow of death” for Second Amendment…
Bill Status Report for April 11, 2025 and Calendar for Week of April 14, 2025
The Tennessee Legislature, a body under the complete and total control of the leadership of the Republican caucus, is once again on the verge of killing practically every pro Second Amendment bill that was filed this year. As so often stated, this is in directly conflict with the requirements of the Second Amendment, the mandates…
ATF Announces Significant Policy Changes Including Repeal of “Zero Tolerance”
On April 7, 2025, ATF announced significant policy changes that reversed damaging attacks by the Biden Administration on the rights protected by the Second Amendment. ATF’s announcement include the the repeal of its administratively adopted “adverse action policy” which was commonly referred to as its “zero tolerance” policy. ATF also announced the “review of Final…
Bill Status Report as of April 4, 2025 and Calendar for the week of April 7, 2025
The Tennessee Legislature is rushing at an unusual pace to conclude its work for 2025. Reports indicate that this has nothing to do with the successful management of the “People’s Business.” Rather, it appears several Tennessee legislators may be under subpoena to testify in the criminal trial against their formed leader Glen Casada which is…
Is Tennessee’s “Intent to go armed” law a model for other governments to consider?
Tennessee has a provision in its statutes that makes it a crime to carry a firearm (or a club) anywhere at any time with the “intent to go armed”. Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-1307(a)(1). Doing so is a criminal act. Indeed, its a crime if you do so on your own private property or even in…
Bill Status Report as of March 28, 2025 and Calendar for the week of March 31, 2025
On March 26, 2025, Tennessee Firearms Association and Gun Owners of America hosted a joint lobby day at the Tennessee Legislature. We had a great turnout for the event. One thing that was unusually, is that several of the House committees had coincidentally scheduled many of the bills that we were tracking this year for…
Tennessee Bill Status Report March 21, 2025 and Calendar for Week of March 24, 2025
The Tennessee Legislature continues to demonstrate that is does not plan to enact REAL Constitutional Carry in 2025 or to make other changes to repeal existing laws that violate the Second Amendment. The Legislative Leadership – Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth – have given no…
Tennessee Bill Status Report – March 14, 2025, and Calendar for Week of March 17, 2025
The Tennessee Legislature appears posed to stonewall or block substantially all pro-Second Amendment bills that have been filed in 2025. Of course, this is not surprising when you have legislators like Speaker Cameron Sexton, Rep. Andrew Farmer and Sen. Jack Johnson latching onto ideas contained in Democrat bills and amending those ideas into their own…