In a Monday press conference, Gov. Bill Lee (R) suggested that some people labeled as “threats” should not be able to own firearms.
“What I expect is that there will be an opportunity to look at legislation [from] around the country, at ways that we can in fact do that very thing, which is mak[ing] sure that those who are a threat to our people, to our children, do not have access to weapons, protecting the constitutional rights of Tennesseans at the same time,” said Lee.
Lee’s comments drew the ire of John Harris, the executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.
Harris told The Tennessee Star:
Of greater concern to the Tennessee Firearms Association are the comments by Governor Lee that indicate he is asking the Legislature to propose legislation that addresses taking guns away from “a person who is a threat to themselves or a threat to others”. That is a code-phrase for saying that Governor Lee, like Lt. Governor Randy McNally, would support what is commonly referred to as a “Red Flag” law.
Although Governor Lee did state that any proposal must protect “the constitutional rights of Tennesseans at the same time,” he gave no indication of how that might be even remotely possible following the United States Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., et al. v. Bruen, et al, No: 20-843. Tennessee Firearms Association’s analysis of the Bruen decision’s restrictions on government discretion indicates that Governor Lee’s support of a possible Red Flag law faces dooming constitutional prohibitions. Indeed, Tennessee Firearms Association is concerned that Governor Lee, following the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, has failed to call for the Legislature to move forward this year with an immediate focus on identifying and repealing existing state laws and regulations that are now unconstitutional under the Bruen standards.
Lee’s comments came in the wake of The Covenant School shooting, in which 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who identifies as transgender, killed six people at the school.
“Red Flag” laws, which are in effect in some parts of the country, allow citizens to be stripped of their Second Amendment rights if adjudicated to be a threat.
Activists argue that the term “threat” is subjective, and that those who assess potential “threats” are government officials who could have ulterior motives.
Lee has previously wavered on gun rights, previously opposing a “true constitutional carry” bill after the state supposedly passed a “constitutional carry law in 2021.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Michael Patrick Leahy contributed to this report.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Bill Lee.
Its important that common citizens need permits to keep guns. However threats should be minimised.
Lee’s remarks followed the massacre drift hunters at The Covenant School, in which a transgender woman, 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, murdered six people.
It’s time to recognize that the open promotion of perversion and criminality throughout the entertainment industry is not art or freedom. It’s degredation and it only spreads evil. Allowing filth to be openly promoted is allowing predators influence over those who are weaker.
In generations past there was no lack of access to guns, yet they did not have mass shootings. Schools were not locked down like prisons, and the streets were safe to walk without fear of attack or having your children exposed to something disgusting.
The media is the problem. In generations past they did not allow the promotion of crime, sexual degeneracy, and twisted suggestions in the name of “entertainment.” The internet, tv, movies, books, games, and music needs cleaning up. We are not enriched by allowing wickedness out in the open, we are being poisoned. Our minds, our souls, and our societies.
The streets need cleaned up, degeneracy needs to be forced back in the closet, and those who promote it need to be punished.
Sir William certainly removed his mask with this one. I wonder if the good people of Tennessee realize that RINOS and marxists are not the only options for government leaders. He needs to denounce the views he has expressed on the matter, and walk away from it.
This proves to me that Mr. Lee is dumber than I thought he was. Just think we are stuck with him for essentially 45 more months. God help Tennessee.
jJRin – Well said.
Absolute Confiscation! Unacceptable Lee, McNally, and Sexton! Weak limp wristed “leaders” who stop at nothing to cave to the enemy.
So if Nashville officials don’t like conservatives in the area they are “threats”, send the jackboots and no more 2nd amendment for them.
This does nothing except make the real issues worse, which will increase deadly incidents.
What a great idea to severely punish anyone who may want to seek help for mental illness or peaceful ways to express grievances with the government. This will only ensure extremely violent future situations!
I say to Governor Lee…..not so fast. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Red flag laws have issues.
The first is that they may be used by a disgruntled spouse to deny a person’s right to own firearms.
Another is the majority of people who commit mass killings by any means are obviously mentally deranged. Look at the gender confused woman most recently in the news. She WAS ALREADY being treated by a medical professional who apparently chose to not report her to the authorities so she could be denied when her background check was run through the NICS system. That doctor should go to prison. How many times do we find out after the fact that a killer was already under psychological care, was not reported, and kill innocent people?
You can pass all the laws you want, but that doesn’t mean people (criminals) will abide by them. How many times do you read about a violent felon who commits a crime with a gun in their possession? They are already banned from possessing firearms, yet they have one. And only a stupid liberal fool believes that crime will go away if the ownership of all firearms by the public is made illegal.
As has been said so many times in the past, we need to strictly and forcefully enforce the laws we already have, as opposed to the liberal practice of catch and release, after which the released felon just goes out and commits more crime. America has become a lawless society because the democrats, who unfortunately control large populated areas of our country, refuse to enforce our existing laws. I truly believe their plan is to continue to enable violent criminals to continue to kill and injure people hoping that the carnage with finally force the mandatory disarmament of law abiding Americans.
You cannot protect a person’s Constitutional right to own guns and prevent people from owning guns by declaring them guilty and asking them to prove their innocence at the same time.