For more than 16 years, Tennessee has been governed by a Republican supermajority that promised to defend the Constitution and failed to do so. The result is not abstract, theoretical, or harmless. It is concrete, dangerous, and personal. And, worse, it was intentional.
By refusing to repeal or fix unconstitutional gun control statutes, Republican legislators and particularly legislative leadership has denied Tennesseans the full exercise of their Second Amendment rights and the full spectrum of lawful options to defend their own lives and the lives of their families. That denial is not an accident. It is not ignorance. It is the predictable outcome of deliberate choices made by legislators who had both the votes and the authority to act—and chose not to.
The Betrayal Is Proven, Not Alleged
In August 2022, a three-judge trial court panel ruled that TCA § 39-17-1307(a) (“intent to go armed”) and TCA § 39-17-1311 (“parks”) are unconstitutional. They did this by applying the Supreme Court’s numerous decisions to these specific Tennessee laws. But, those statutes are only two examples within a larger statutory framework of Tennessee laws that create artificial “gun-free zones” and criminal traps that disarm the law-abiding while empowering criminals.
Republican legislators have had years—not months—to repeal or correct these statutes. Bills were filed. Amendments were offered. Opportunities were abundant.
They were blocked.
For 16 years, Republican leadership and those loyal to leadership have:
- Killed repeal bills in committee
- Refused to calendar votes
- Buried legislation in subcommittees
- Applied political pressure to silence reform
- Protected unconstitutional statutes at the potential expense of Tennesseans’ lives or personal safety
When Republicans were in the minority, many told TFA plainly: “Give us the majority and we’ll fix this.”
They got the majority.
They broke their word.
And, as a result the problems continue to exist.
The Cost of Inaction Is Measured in Human Risk
These laws do not merely inconvenience Tennesseans and visitors to our state. They force law-abiding citizens into defenselessness, expose them to law enforcement detention and prosecution for technical violations, and limit their ability to respond to real-world threats.
Every legislator who voted to block repeal—or who hid behind leadership while it happened—has actively denied Tennesseans the ability to fully protect themselves. That is not conservative governance. It is dereliction of constitutional duty.
2026 Is the Moment of Reckoning
In 2026:
- Every Republican House member is on the ballot
- Many Republican Senators are on the ballot
- The Governor’s office is on the ballot
These officials have already told us who they are—not by campaign mailers, but by their actions.
TFA is no longer interested in promises or being controlled by demands that it be a “team player” with those who have repeatedly betrayed your rights. Accountability is now the only remedy.
What TFA Is Urging You to Do — Starting Now
TFA is calling on members and supporters to prepare for 2026 with purpose and resolve:
- Set aside money now to directly support credible challengers to Republican incumbents who blocked, stalled, or protected unconstitutional gun laws.
- Speak directly with challengers—demand explicit commitments to repeal unconstitutional statutes and to defy leadership pressure when necessary.
- Help identify, recruit, and encourage challengers who can realistically defeat incumbents who have betrayed constitutional rights.
- Provide direct grassroots support—financial contributions, volunteer time, and local organizing—to these challengers.
- Even if your own legislator has acted honorably, actively look for opportunities to support challengers to:
- Legislative leadership, Committee chairs and vice-chairs, Subcommittee chairs and Committee members who killed or buried repeal bills
Leadership should have led the constitutional reforms that were need. But Leadership is where these bills died. Leadership must be challenged.
It is critical to understand: TFA is not asking you to send this money to TFALAC.
This effort depends on direct, visible, grassroots support for challengers—support that incumbents and party leadership cannot ignore or neutralize.
Final Word
The Republican supermajority has enjoyed 16 years of unchecked control. During that time, they preserved unconstitutional laws that disarm the innocent and embolden the criminal. They have also retaliated against some of their own peers who were working to change the laws and expose the ones where were blocking those efforts. That record cannot be explained away—and it cannot be rewarded.
2026 is not about party loyalty.
It is about constitutional loyalty.
Those who betrayed their oath must be replaced by those who will honor it.