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, this is just a preliminary assessment of how the Legislature under the control of a Republican super majority that is led by Cameron Sexton in the House and Randy McNally in the Senate did with respect to the Second Amendment.
First, the Republican super majority not only ignored but likely intentionally violated the Second Amendment and the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Miller, Heller, McDonald and Bruen, in addition to the Tennessee Supreme Court’s decisions in Andrews and Amyette. Take for example the failure to pass HJR38 which would amend the state’s constitution by public referendum in 2026 to comply with the Second Amendment or the overwhelming party line votes to pass SB2911 HB1600 which attempts to impose a firearms prohibition to age 25 on juveniles who commit certain crimes, including misdemeanor possession of a firearm. Then, let’s not forget the “arm the teachers” legislation which is more of a roadblock to campus carry than enabling legislation. Again, all of these choices by the Republican super majorities were brought to Tennesseans under the leadership of Cameron Sexton and Randy McNally.
Second, there were a number of bills (including the constitutional amendment in HJR38) that the Republican super majority killed. These including bills to
– eliminate the statutory “intent to go armed” clause;
– allow Tennessee to join 46 other states that allow longarm carry;
– change the handgun permits to firearms permits;
– enact criminal immunity and related procedures in self-defense cases;
– eliminate some gun free zones;
– change the statutory language handgun permit age threshold to 18 (as required by a federal court settlement); and
– much more….
Third, is the failure to ban “Red Flag” laws at the state level and, instead, the enactment of at least 2 laws that could actually move closer to implementation of Red Flag laws although as Jack Johnson stated in a Phil Williams disclosed recording these were done by branding the legislation as having other purposes.
Fourth, the Legislature continued to allow taxpayer funded administration employees from the TBI and the Department of Safety to regularly testify against Second Amendment legislation and the rights of citizens.
At this stage, it appears that the last two years under the leadership of Cameron Sexton and Randy McNally have been what we have come to expect from the Republican super majority in the Legislature since 2010 – a failure when it comes to passing true 2nd Amendment legislation. Perhaps they can point to isolated exceptions but as a general matter it has been a constitutional failure and a collective breach of the Legislature’s oath of office. But, in many respects the progressives and Democrats can take a victory lap because the Republicans did all the work for them to kill these true pro Second Amendment bills.
So, perhaps the “sine die” images need to be edited to reflect the actual record of the Sexton/McNally led 2023-2024 Legislature.
