In August 2025, a specially convened Tennessee three-judge trial court unanimously ruled that two of Tennessee’s gun control statutes – Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1307(a) (the “Going Armed Statute”) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1311(a) (the “Parks Statute”) – violated the Tennessee Constitution as well as the Second Amendment. Of course, Tennessee Firearms Association supporters have…
Plaintiffs file appellate brief opposing State’s efforts to overturn trial court ruling in Hughes et al v. Lee et al.
On March 6, 2026, Plaintiffs Stephen Hughes, Duncan O’Mara, Elaine Kehel, Gun Owners of America, Inc., and Gun Owners Foundation filed their joint Appellees’ brief in response to the appeal by the State of Tennessee from a unanimous three-judge trial court panel’s ruling in August 2025 that two of Tennessee’s gun control statutes violated the…
Sovereign Immunity – a misplaced and irrelevant argument in defense of SB1958/HB1971
Recently, a Republican member of the Tennessee House has asserted that SB1958/HB1971 is necessary to reverse an unintended consequence of Tennessee Code Annotated § 1-3-121. That alleged unintended consequence — the waiver of sovereign immunity. However, that statute did not waive sovereign immunity for at least two reasons. First, the doctrine of sovereign immunity is…
As if the threat of SB1958/HB1971 was not enough, House Judiciary to also hear SB1731/HB1791 on March 4 — Why This Matters to Every Tennessean
Members of the Tennessee Firearms Association and conservative advocates should understand that there are actually two separate pieces of legislation — SB1731/HB1791 and SB1958/HB1971 — that are moving in tandem, and both are scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on March 4. Viewed together, these bills would significantly alter the practical ability…
Legislators Cannot Repeal The Constitution by Repealing The Capacity to Bring Constitutional Challenges
An urgent alert to grassroots Tennesseans regarding SB1958/HB1971 and the attack on constitutional review Bottom Line Tennessee legislators—almost entirely members who identify as Republicans—are rushing to pass SB1958/HB1971. If enacted, the bill would repeal an existing statute (Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-121) that expressly provides that any affected party may bring a civil action to…
Principle, Platform and Party Autonomy – Are the State Parties Enforcing Their Platforms?
Why SB1958 / HB1971 Demand Clarity from Republican and Democrat Party Leadership Political parties are not departments of the State. They are voluntary associations which claim that they are formed around shared principles. They are protected by the First Amendment’s guarantees of speech and association. That constitutional protection is not symbolic. It is substantive. It…
BREAKING — House Judiciary accelerates hearing on HB1971 (SB1958) to March 4, 2026
Tennesseans must treat HB1971 by Rep. Andrew Farmer (SB 1958 by Sen. John Stevens) as a serious constitutional threat. This proposal would repeal an existing law that expressly allows citizens to challenge the constitutionality of state statutes BEFORE they are arrested, convicted or otherwise harmed by the state law. This is not a mere technical procedural revision as…
Senate Bill 1958/HB1971: Protecting Your Rights or Protecting Politicians from Constitutional Limits
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:…