View Full Version : Tennessee Constitutional Carry
ChattanoogaPhil
03-14-21, 16:46
GOA e-mail 3/13
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State Legislature is Considering Making Tennessee a Constitutional Carry State!
Recently, the House Criminal Justice Committee passed HB 18 and HB 786 -- two bills that would make Tennessee a Constitutional Carry state. These bills are now both in the Finance committee, but only HB 786 has a calendar date to be voted on.
While both of these two bills are a type of Constitutional Carry, HB 18 is a much better bill that should be the priority.
Under House Bill 786, a Tennessean will be able to conceal carry without having to beg the government for a permit, as long as they are legally in possession of the firearm, AND would qualify for an Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit. This means people would still have to undergo the training that the Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit requires.
However, under House Bill 18, a Tennessean would legally be able to open or conceal carry as long as they are legally in possession of the weapon. HB 18 does NOT require extra training.
Eighteen other states currently recognize that Americans have the right to carry a gun for self-defense without first jumping through additional hoops or getting the government's permission to exercise their constitutional rights. These states, not coincidentally, are among the safest in the country.
It's well past time that Tennessee joined these states and repealed the unreasonable and unconstitutional limits on its citizens’ exercise of their Second Amendment rights.
Please urge the House Finance Committee to support HB 18 instead of HB 786.
In Liberty,
Erich Pratt
Senior Vice President
Follow me on Twitter: @erichmpratt
Follow me on Parler: @pratterich
P.S. Please distribute this alert to your pro-gun family and friends and urge them to Take Action! And to renew your GOA membership or to join for the first time, please click here.
How would reciprocity work if TN made it permit-less? Right now I can CCW in a number of states but would that invalidate it?
Keep your CCW current for reciprocity. I had the same deal in AZ. Don't "need" it in state but you do travelling. Also, most states only allow residents to CC without. So visitors to that state need a permit that is recognized in that state. Plus the BGC waiver if that's a thing in your state. It still pays to have it.
How would reciprocity work if TN made it permit-less? Right now I can CCW in a number of states but would that invalidate it?
I think most(likely all) states that have gone permitless have continued to offer the fee card as an option for residents who travel to other states that require it.
Keep your CCW current for reciprocity. I had the same deal in AZ. Don't "need" it in state but you do travelling. Also, most states only allow residents to CC without. So visitors to that state need a permit that is recognized in that state. Plus the BGC waiver if that's a thing in your state. It still pays to have it.
That's what crossed my mind.
Kevslatvin
03-14-21, 20:29
How would reciprocity work if TN made it permit-less? Right now I can CCW in a number of states but would that invalidate it?
I too wondered how this would work as I want to be able to continue to be able to carry when I travel to other states.
Keep your CCW current for reciprocity. I had the same deal in AZ. Don't "need" it in state but you do travelling. Also, most states only allow residents to CC without. So visitors to that state need a permit that is recognized in that state. Plus the BGC waiver if that's a thing in your state. It still pays to have it.
That's kinda how I suspected it would work.
Also it's interesting the stark contrast in what's going on with guns in some states vs. at the federal level.
ChattanoogaPhil
03-21-21, 09:14
These are the type of Tennessee gun owners that stand in the way.
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"To let anyone carry a weapon with no measure of competence and no training whatsoever is ludicrous, which is why Tennessee's "constitutional carry" proposal is harmful.
The concealed-carry gun permit law passed in 2019, which reduced the requirements for Tennessee’s basic carry permit, was a bad law.
The one now coming through committee, dubbed "constitutional carry" and allows anyone over the age of 21 to carry a gun without testing or training is even worse.
It is often said that “my rights end where yours begin.” That being said, I have the right to a safe environment. To let anyone carry a weapon with no measure of competence and no training whatsoever is ludicrous when you are talking about an instrument that can harm, maim or end a life in the blink of an eye.
Rights are not unlimited
This bill should not be disguised as being about the rights covered under the Second Amendment. Even the First Amendment does not allow one to practice free speech if it endangers other people’s lives. You cannot go into a crowded theater and yell “Fire,” start a stampede that causes injury or death and be protected under the First Amendment.
This is a matter of public safety. As a practical matter, before citizens can obtain a driver’s license, we require them to take a monitored test in a facility and take a driving test to demonstrate competency. Why? Because incompetence on the road can result in injury or death to others and even the driver himself.
The present enhanced carry permit law is good. It requires education, testing and training. This present law allows the responsible gun owner to exercise their Second Amendment right with the least amount of endangerment to others.
The basic permit that took effect in 2020 allows someone to carry a concealed weapon by being only age 21 and passing an online exam. There is no training whatsoever. This law is fraught full of holes and the so-called exam can easily be manipulated and cheated upon.
Right to ownership is not a right to carry
Owning a gun may be a right, but carrying one around in public is a privilege and should be taken seriously.
This privilege should require testing and training and not be given simply because you are age 21 and a citizen.
Law enforcement at almost every level is against this bill. Law enforcement is hard and dangerous enough as is without adding another thing our officers have to contend with in performing their duties.
Allowing anyone to carry a weapon in public is a matter that should be taken very seriously. I am afraid our lawmakers are not doing so."
Jim Ross is a native Tennessean and a financial planner residing in Columbia. A Marine veteran, he has been an enhanced carry permit holder for many years and is an advocate for responsible gun ownership.
https://amp.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2021/03/09/tennessee-lawmakers-arent-taking-constitutional-carry-bill-seriously/4636496001/
These are the type of Tennessee gun owners that stand in the way.
----------
"To let anyone carry a weapon with no measure of competence and no training whatsoever is ludicrous, which is why Tennessee's "constitutional carry" proposal is harmful.
The concealed-carry gun permit law passed in 2019, which reduced the requirements for Tennessee’s basic carry permit, was a bad law.
The one now coming through committee, dubbed "constitutional carry" and allows anyone over the age of 21 to carry a gun without testing or training is even worse.
It is often said that “my rights end where yours begin.” That being said, I have the right to a safe environment. To let anyone carry a weapon with no measure of competence and no training whatsoever is ludicrous when you are talking about an instrument that can harm, maim or end a life in the blink of an eye.
Rights are not unlimited
This bill should not be disguised as being about the rights covered under the Second Amendment. Even the First Amendment does not allow one to practice free speech if it endangers other people’s lives. You cannot go into a crowded theater and yell “Fire,” start a stampede that causes injury or death and be protected under the First Amendment.
This is a matter of public safety. As a practical matter, before citizens can obtain a driver’s license, we require them to take a monitored test in a facility and take a driving test to demonstrate competency. Why? Because incompetence on the road can result in injury or death to others and even the driver himself.
The present enhanced carry permit law is good. It requires education, testing and training. This present law allows the responsible gun owner to exercise their Second Amendment right with the least amount of endangerment to others.
The basic permit that took effect in 2020 allows someone to carry a concealed weapon by being only age 21 and passing an online exam. There is no training whatsoever. This law is fraught full of holes and the so-called exam can easily be manipulated and cheated upon.
Right to ownership is not a right to carry
Owning a gun may be a right, but carrying one around in public is a privilege and should be taken seriously.
This privilege should require testing and training and not be given simply because you are age 21 and a citizen.
Law enforcement at almost every level is against this bill. Law enforcement is hard and dangerous enough as is without adding another thing our officers have to contend with in performing their duties.
Allowing anyone to carry a weapon in public is a matter that should be taken very seriously. I am afraid our lawmakers are not doing so."
Jim Ross is a native Tennessean and a financial planner residing in Columbia. A Marine veteran, he has been an enhanced carry permit holder for many years and is an advocate for responsible gun ownership.
https://amp.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2021/03/09/tennessee-lawmakers-arent-taking-constitutional-carry-bill-seriously/4636496001/
Y'all had a bunch of lowlifes wanting to keep the ammo tax stamp too.
ChattanoogaPhil
03-21-21, 10:15
And there were lots of howls of disapproval from gun owners when Guns in Bars was passed. Predictions of drunken brawl shootouts everywhere... blah blah blah. That was over a decade ago... yawn... we're doing just fine.
And there were lots of howls of disapproval from gun owners when Guns in Bars was passed. Predictions of drunken brawl shootouts everywhere... blah blah blah. That was over a decade ago... yawn... we're doing just fine.
That's where the devil is in the details.
If I recall correctly, TN's carry law had a provision where carry where alcohol was sold was verboten which included cough syrup and a part about no carry where big? game animals could be encountered to limit carry to areas behind a 16' electrified fence.
KY's governor Patton who signed ccw immediately tried to limit/end it by decreeing no ccw anywhere that was owned(plenty of highways) which was shot down by AG Chandler.
It seems that ole Jim confuses possession of a firearm on one's body in public without gov't permission with yelling fire in a movie theater. One is passive, the other active. My mere possession harms no one. If he knew what he was talking about he might compare yelling fire with maybe whipping out your gun for target practice at the local restaurant or in your backyard.
ChattanoogaPhil
03-21-21, 11:14
That's where the devil is in the details.
If I recall correctly, TN's carry law had a provision where carry where alcohol was sold was verboten which included cough syrup and a part about no carry where big? game animals could be encountered to limit carry to areas behind a 16' electrified fence.
Never heard anything about cough syrup although there may have been some obscure interpretation. The issue, like you say, was allowing gun carry in bars and restaurants that served alcohol. Folks were doing so anyway and there was no enforcement unless combined with other lawbreaking. It was simply making legal what folks were already doing. Similar to folks that had no carry permit but would keep a loaded handgun in their vehicle. Heck, probably half the cars around here had a loaded gun in the glovebox, but it wasn't until 2014 that it became legal for someone without a permit to have a loaded gun in their vehicle as long as they're not a prohibited person.
It seems that ole Jim confuses possession of a firearm on one's body in public without gov't permission with yelling fire in a movie theater. One is passive, the other active. My mere possession harms no one. If he knew what he was talking about he might compare yelling fire with maybe whipping out your gun for target practice at the local restaurant or in your backyard.
Not to mention alerting others if the movie theater is actually burning.
I have seen justification for criminalizing carrying a weapon compared to full on crimes against people and property. "Why should it be legal to carry XYZ? We don't let people commit <murder, rape, assault, theft, arson, and on and on>"
Never heard anything about cough syrup although there may have been some obscure interpretation. The issue, like you say, was allowing gun carry in bars and restaurants that served alcohol. Folks were doing so anyway and there was no enforcement unless combined with other lawbreaking. It was simply making legal what folks were already doing. Similar to folks that had no carry permit but would keep a loaded handgun in their vehicle. Heck, probably half the cars around here had a loaded gun in the glovebox, but it wasn't until 2014 that it became legal for someone without a permit to have a loaded gun in their vehicle as long as they're not a prohibited person.
That was according to one of your state gun groups when they were trying to get the law improved on the alcohol sales thing. I don't recall if it had actually been used somewhere or was seen as a potential way to screw someone over though.
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