Tennesseans must treat Senate Bill 1958 (HB1971) as a serious constitutional alarm bell. This proposal by Republican Legislators (Senator John Stevens and Representative Andrew Farmer) is far more than a technical procedural revision as Stevens suggested to the Senate Judiciary. At its core, SB1958 would dismantle the ability of Tennesseans to file declaratory judgment actions…
SB1958 / HB1971 — A Nefarious Attempt to Place Legislative Power Beyond Constitutional Accountability
Every generation of Tennesseans, indeed every generation of Americans, inherits the same fragile system of government: a constitutional republic built on limited governmental authority, divided powers, enforceable rights, and the rule of law. That system does not sustain itself automatically. It survives only so long as each branch of government and each individual government official…
SB1958 / HB1971: Why This Bill Matters to Every Tennessean and Why the Senate Sponsor is wrong
Certain Tennessee legislators, apparently entirely individuals who identify as Republicans, are advancing SB1958 / HB1971 (Senate Sponsor John Stevens and House Sponsor Andrew Farmer) — a proposal with consequences that reach far beyond ordinary policy debates. These Republicans are attacking your rights, not working as their oaths require to protect and preserve your rights. [Note:…
TFA Legislative Alert: Republican Supporters of SB 1958 / HB 1971 seek to narrow (and in key areas eliminate) the right of Tennesseans to challenge unconstitutional state action
Tennessee Republican Legislators are rushing to repeal a statute that expressly authorizes citizens to ask a court to rule on the constitutionality of state statutes without demonstrating that the statute has been enforced against them. These Republican legislators, most of whom are in leadership, are trying to repeal existing law with a significantly narrowed law…
Urgent Call to Action: Protect Your Right to Challenge Unconstitutional Laws
– Legislative Republicans trying to block rights of citizens to bring constitutional challenges to state statutes! Tennessee State Senator John Stevens and House Member Andrew Farmer are pushing a bill that would gut the constitutional rights of citizens to challenge or even question the constitutionality of state statutes. They are pushing Senate Bill 1958 /…
Major Victory in the Covenant Manifesto Appeal
On February 4, 2026, a unanimous Tennessee Appellate Court substantially overruled much of the trial court’s ruling which had blocked public access to the records obtained by the Metropolitan Police Department with respect to the Covenant School murders in March 2023. Opinion. Tennessee Firearms Association and Chief James Hammond (retired) working with Judicial Watch sued…
Approaching Winter Storm in Tennessee: Urgent Reminder on Property Defense Laws, Castle Doctrine Limitations, and the Push for Stand Your Ground Expansion
As Tennessee prepares for a severe winter storm system arriving this weekend, January 23–25, 2026, the Tennessee Firearms Association urges all Tennesseans—especially our members—to stay informed, prepared, and aware of the serious legal restrictions that still govern the defense of your home, business, and property. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy snowfall of a…
2026 Is About Accountability — Not More Lies and Excuses
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…
Legislative Oaths, Constitutional Duties, and the Duty to Repeal Unconstitutional Firearms Statutes
In August 2022, a three-judge panel in Tennessee unanimously ruled in Hughes v. Lee that two long-standing Tennessee firearms statutes are unconstitutional under the Tennessee Constitution (as limited by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments). The unanimous ruling declared as unconstitutional However, the defendants in that case, Governor Bill Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, have…
TN Attorney General Skrmetti Addresses Hughes v. Lee with Conservative Voters in Brentwood
In early January 2026, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti openly addressed the Hughes v. Lee unanimous trial court ruling and his appeal of that ruling with voters in Brentwood, Tennessee. Kelly Jackson, of Truthwire News, attended the meeting and has written about Skrmetti’s comments and his attempts to justify retaining statutes in Tennessee which he concedes…