In response to President Joe Biden’s promises to further limit gun ownership, Tennessee legislators introduced the Second Amendment Sanctuary Act.
The bill summarizes its premise in just under a page – prohibiting enforcement of any federal government laws, treaties, executive orders, rules, or regulations that violate the Second Amendment. The summary explained that passage would render pressures on Second Amendment rights as “null, void, and unenforceable.” Additionally, the bill would limit state or local governments from using public funds, personnel, or property to enforce them.
State Representative Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City) introduced the bill first, followed by a companion bill from State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald).
In a statement to The Tennessee Star, Hensley explained that the bill directly dealt with any potential actions by Biden.
“This is an attempt to protect Tennessee citizens from an overreach of power from the Biden administration or Congress to circumvent our Second Amendment rights,” stated Hensley.
Hensley’s spokespersons clarified that there isn’t any amendatory language to add to the bill.
In an interview on Wednesday, Campbell explained that the Biden administration’s increasing transparency on their stance on gun rights portends trouble.
“Well, it’s a very serious time in our country,” stated Campbell. “We do not know what the Biden Administration is going to do, but that picture is becoming a bit more clear every day.”
Campbell referenced H.R. 127 in Congress introduced by Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18) early last month, which he called concerning. The bill would restrict gun ownership further by tracking firearms and ammunition movement more closely and imposing strict requirements for purchasing or acquiring firearms.
“What we’re trying to do in Tennessee [is ensure that] taxpayer money cannot be used for the enforcement of a federal law that’s deemed unconstitutional as it relates to the Second Amendment,” stated Campbell. “This would prevent the federal government – through executive order or federal law – from telling law enforcement [that] they have to go take guns away. President Biden has made it very clear that he wants to see assault weapons banned. I don’t want to see that. Many Tennesseans choose to use those for protection at times and other locations if needed, and we’ve seen that crime doesn’t increase with that decision.”
On Valentine’s Day and anniversary of the Parkland shooting, Biden vowed to impose background checks on all gun sales, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminate immunity for gun manufacturers. The President touted these reforms as “common sense” gun laws.
Campbell added that this legislation would provide a basis of understanding for courts to protect gun owners if Biden’s initiatives came into play.
“Look this is about seeing that guns don’t go on the extinct list or, you know, the illegal list. If we start losing some of those freedoms right now, one piece at a time, what constitutional rights are we going to lose next.”
The bill was passed on first consideration in both the House and Senate.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
has anyone any information on whether or not this was signed into law by Lee ?
Well done
Thank you Gentlemen for this Bill, it has my unending support!
Would this apply to the gun control advocates’ efforts to require background checks for the purchase of ammunition?
Where are the bills to repeal existing unconstitutional state laws (that they have direct control over – not what Grandpa Earpiece “might” do)? We don’t “need” a constitutional carry “law” to enumerate a right that already exists in the constitution (both state and federal). Just repeal the existing unconstitutional state laws (which like Grandpa Earpiece’s executive orders should also be null and void) such as “carry permits” (you don’t ask permission for a “right”), the perpetual tax on “carry permits” (therefore a paid privilege, not a right), the “carrying with the intent to go armed” fraud, etc. Republicans and their super majority have had the ability to do something for far too many years about these, with no way to blame Democrats for their failures.
If they really want to get serious, how about a law to immediately activate the TN guard as soon as an unconstitutional executive order leaves his lips (or the governor’s)? After all, what are those military oaths “to defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic” for? It sure isn’t to be the praetorian guard around DC. Or administer untested gene therapy shots.
We need to nullify every unconstitutional EO coming out of Biden administration.
Biden and Democrats have no interest in so called gun violence but only want to control everything Americans do.
If you think that Biden’s gun control will do anything to curb so called gun violence, you are being fooled by Democrats.
Please do your own research instead of listening to the lies you are being told.
Lee better sign this.
Very glad to see this action by our state legislators. It’s time to tell biden and his lemmings to “pack sand”.
Thank you! Let this be the line in the sand for all Constitution loving States. After witnessing the Democrats outright cheating to steal the 2020 election I have no doubt that they would resort to violence in the attempt to confiscate lawfully owned firearms. And I know there are millions of firearms owners that have no intention of complying with any laws making the possession of a legally purchased firearm illegal.
Yes!
“Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” –Thomas Jefferson
Our constitution does not address “gun ownership,” Therefore, powers not specifically given to the government are delegated to the Individual states. Due to a few states, the bill of rights was compiled in order to achieve ratification of OUR constitution. It states (2A) SHALL NOT INFRINGE!