Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) are speaking out against three gun control measures set to be presented to Memphis voters on the November 5 general election ballot which the Republican leaders say is an attempt by city leaders to “circumvent state law.”
Last month, the Memphis City Council approved a referendum that proposes three measures to voters regarding gun control policies.
The first measure on the November 5 ballot will ask voters whether or not the City of Memphis Charter should be amended so that permitless carry of a handgun within the city would be illegal. The measure, if passed, would also block unpermitted handguns from being carried or stored inside vehicles.
The second measure, if passed, would ban the carrying of assault rifles within the city, with the exception of those with valid handgun permits on privately owned property or at shooting ranges. If successful, the measure would also ban the commercial sale of assault rifles within the city.
The third measure, if passed by voters, would enact emergency risk protection orders, or commonly known as red flag laws, within the city.
In a joint statement on Monday, Sexton and McNally said the Tennessee General Assembly “will not tolerate any attempts to go rogue and perform political sideshows,” adding that if Memphis city leaders “do not want to participate within the state and state laws, then they do not need to participate in the state’s successes.”
If the referendum proceeds, McNally and Sexton said they will work to “withhold state shared sales tax to any local government who attempts to take this type of action.”
“The Tennessee Constitution is very clear about the Legislature’s duty to maintain oversight of cities and counties,” Sexton and McNally said in a press release.
Sexton added that he “hopes” Memphis city leaders will “change course immediately,” while McNally noted, “Shelby County needs to understand that despite their hopes and wishes to the contrary, they are constrained by these explicit constitutional guardrails.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton” by Speaker Randy McNally.
How come this so-called gun control measures never mention the criminal gangs?
There are now 25,000 – 30,000 firearms regulations on the books.
Any educated politician knows that.
They are very sensible laws and many very restrictive. Memphis may wish to confiscate the firearms from their criminal base rather than the law abiding.
Might also wish to tell the public what Jeff Cooper said about criminals.