Constitutional Primer for Elected Employees in Tennessee

Every Tennessee Public servant needs to be made aware of the contract that is our State Constitution.  That document is a set of written hiring practices mutually agreed upon by the People in 1796.  That document says who may apply to be elected, where they must live, how old they must be, and, what powers…

Tennessee court allows lawsuit to proceed against Governor Lee to challenge the state’s prohibition on carrying firearms in public parks and recreational areas as unconstitutional.

On August 30, 2023, a three-judge panel of Tennessee judges ruled that the case of Stephen L. Hughes, et al. v. Bill Lee, et al., Gibson Chancery No: 24475 that the claims by the plaintiffs which assert that Tennessee’s existing statutes that make it a crime to carry a firearm in a public park, greenway,…

What does Governor Bill Lee’s demand for a Red Flag Special Session, and that failure, tell us about who supports the Second Amendment?

Shortly after the Tennessee Firearms Association sent out its report on the Special Session, we started receiving a lot of inquiries from Tennesseans who wanted to know “who the problem Republicans are”, or  “did my Representative and Senator protect our rights” or “are you going to send out a list of which Republicans need to…

Senator Frank Niceley speaking on the fiction of “gun free zones” and the need to eliminate them.

On August 29, 2023, Tennessee Senator Frank Niceley address the state of Tennessee and its Legislature from the Senate Floor. Specifically, he wanted to address the issue of “imaginary, fictional gun free zones”. We want to acknowledge Senator Niceley for stating the obvious but at the same time emphasizing the fact, perhaps indirectly, that existing…

Special Session Shenanigans raise concerns about back room risks

The Governor’s Special Session which he demanded because he wanted to force a Red Flag law never should have occurred. But Governor Lee abused his discretion and called one anyway. Rather than focus on an “extraordinary occasion” as is constitutionally required, he issued a proclamation calling for the broad and vague topic of “public safety”…

TFA and GOA file Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging ATF’s “Frame and Receiver” rule.

On August 25, 2023, Tennessee Firearms Association joined again with Gun Owners of America in the effort to defeat the ATF’s unconstitutional expansion of the Congressional definition of a “frame or receiver”. The brief was filed in the case of Jennifer VanDerStok, et al. v. Merrick Garland, et. al. Fifth Circuit 23:10718. The issue in…

Proposed legislation to allow enhanced handgun permit holders to carry on pre-K through 12th grade schools dies because of Republican votes.

Many people believe that one of the best defenses to an armed attack on any location, including a school, is an immediate armed response.   Certainly, the actions already taken this year to put “school resource officers” in public schools with taxpayer funding evidences at least some in government and many in the public see the…