Tennessee Firearms Association Looking for Plaintiffs for Possible Lawsuit Against the State over Gun-Free Zones

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is looking for plaintiffs to take part in a possible lawsuit against the state of Tennessee pertaining to the state’s gun-free zones.

A lawsuit is being prepared for filing in state court against the State of Tennessee that will address gun-free zones and whether those zones violate the constitution, according to the TFA.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Questions Why FBI Wants Access to Handgun Permit Databases in Certain States

In an emailed statement released on Thursday, the Tennessee Firearms Association revealed their inquiry to the Tennessee Department of Safety which sought to find out if the FBI has requested access to the state’s handgun permit database in a similar manner to what the agency has done in Missouri.

In July 2022, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to confront the federal agency with reports that their agents had been in contact with local law enforcement officials in that state in order to attempt to perform audits that included onsite reviews of Missouri concealed weapons permits.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Supports ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill Sponsored by State Rep. Bruce Griffey

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) announced its support for what it called a “real” constitutional carry bill filed by State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) for the upcoming legislative session.

Late last week, John Harris, Executive Director of TFA, “Tennessee’s only no-compromise gun organization,” sent an email to its members and released a podcast discussing Griffey’s HB0018.

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Governor Bill Lee Announces ‘Constitutional Carry’ Legislation

At a press conference Thursday surrounded by more than 40 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, Governor Bill Lee announced that he will be introducing legislation supporting the God-given and constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans with a Constitutional Carry bill.

Word of an announcement that would generically expand “constitutional rights” got out late Wednesday, although the Tennessee Firearms Association’s Executive Director John Harris said that they were made aware weeks ago of a major announcement on a 2A issue that TFA members would likely be pleased with.

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TFA Criticizes Briley for ‘Calling for Gun Control Rather Than Encouraging Citizens to Own and Learn How to Safely Use Firearms for Self-Defense’

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) issued a stinging rebuke of Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley’s call for more gun control on Monday. “In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 22, 2018, shots rang out as 4 innocent victims were murdered and others were injured. One man chose to confront the naked, apparently mentally unstable, killer and fortunately was successful in using only physical force to do so. Not a single victim, however, responded in self-defense or defense of others with their own handgun or other weapon” said John Harris, Executive Director of the TFA in a statement released by the group on Monday. “Tennessee Firearms Association has worked for more than two decades to improve the laws in Tennessee so that average citizens can chose whether to carry a firearm for self-defense and to eliminate or reduce the numbers of gun free zones in Tennessee. However, those efforts are frequently resisted by those in law enforcement and elected office,” continued Harris. “We saw evidence of that again on Sunday as within hours of the deaths, Nashville’s temporary mayor, David Briley, and its feckless congressman, Jim Cooper, seized opportunities to grab microphones as cameras were rolling to make the plea…

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Jeff Hartline Commentary: Constitutional Carry Seems To Be On NRA Priority List Everywhere But Tennessee

  For the past 146 years, the National Rifle Association has touted itself as the defender of the 2nd Amendment in America. Their efforts in education, mentoring and lobbying have produced good results nationwide. Their celebrity supporters have given credence to the mission to advance firearms ownership and to peel back laws that restrict the ability of law-abiding citizens to “keep and bear arms”. For their efforts and successes, we commend them. But we are curious about their efforts in the area of pushing states to adopt “permitless” legislation, also known as Constitutional Carry (CC). Constitutional Carry, also known in the past as “Vermont Carry” after the state that has allowed its citizens to keep and bear arms without a State “permit” since 1796, is a policy that essentially claims the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is a law-abiding citizen’s “permit”. This significant statement incorporated into our Constitution recognizes the God-given right of citizens to defend themselves against potential citizen threats but, most specifically, against a tyrannical government. In the past three decades, many states have acted on their own to reclaim this right for their citizens through the adoption of laws that allowed law-abiding citizens to arm themselves…

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