Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that he will call for the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a special session in order to “pass legislation that will strengthen public safety and preserve constitutional rights.”
After much input from members of the General Assembly and discussions with legislative leadership, we have decided to call a special session to continue our work to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights. (1/4)
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 22, 2023
Lee’s announcement came just two days after he called for Red Flag Laws, to which Republican legislators said they will not introduce legislation for.
“Any red flag law is a non-starter for House Republicans,” the House majority party said on Twitter. “Our caucus is focused on finding solutions that prevent dangerous individuals from harming the public and preserve the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. We have always been open to working with Governor Lee on measures that fit within that framework.”
In response to the statement by House Republicans and additional backlash, Lee announced his intent to call for a special session.
“After much input from members of the General Assembly and discussions with legislative leadership, we have decided to call a special session to continue our work to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights,” Lee released in a statement.
“There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons,” Lee added. “We also share a strong commitment to preserving Second Amendment rights, ensuring due process and addressing the heart of the problem with strengthened mental health resources.”
“I look forward to continued partnership with the General Assembly as we pursue thoughtful, practical solutions to keep Tennesseans safe,” Lee concluded.
Lee’s original call for Red Flag Laws, which he calls ‘Order of Protection’ laws, has also been scrutinized by John Harris, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.
Harris told The Star that Lee’s proposed law is likely unconstitutional.
“Governor Bill Lee should be admonished for his willful neglect of his oath of office and his intentional proposal of legislation that would constitute a clear and obvious civil rights violation,” Harris stated.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee. Background Photo “Tennessee House of Representatives” by Tennessee General Assembly.
The Governor should not acquiesce to the misguided democrat red herring. Karen Braken, John Bumpass and others have well described flaws in proponents of red flag laws. Where will the over reach end? When will these groups stop their efforts to dilute US Constitutional rights? This is what Sal Alinsky wants, this is what Barry Obama sought, this is what George Soros ultimately seeks, i.e., the dismantling of rights and the insertion of socialism/Marxism. How far will the red flag law criteria stretch? Transgenderism is in professional circles considered a mental illness. What about willful destruction of government property such as hard drive data? Dementia is captured diagnostically in the DSM. Does the red law restriction apply to them? If so, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden could not legally possess a firearm. It is time to write the Governor and your elected to say stop this nonsense and get to work.
Lee just drove another “nail in his coffin” when he tried to push the Democratic red flag bill into law.
Not one comment from Lee about transgenderism or call for release of her manifesto. It is all you need to know. The General Assembly had better deal harshly with Lee.
Gov. Lee, Have you lost your everloving Mind. If Gun laws are what your advisors are telling you They need to be replaced, or at least you should have enough common sense to Turn a Blind ear to what they are telling you. The first and second amendment of our constitution is the Holy Grail of our god given Rights. You and any legislature representative will go down, and leave the worst legosy of any elected representative in the history of our State.
If your legislative agenda doesn’t start with men who want to be little girls or think they can get pregnant….. you are not serious
Is there now any question concerning Lee’s lack of a backbone? He is about as much a constitutional conservative as Elizbeth Warren. But at least she does not try to hide her beliefs.
Remember Lee is the guy who appointed Schwinn as head of public education. Schwinn, a Berkely graduate and a refugee from Texas where she tried to push the likes of CRT. And of course, he singlehandedly agreed to take more “refugees” rather than consulting with other Tennessee state leaders. I wonder if the Catholic Charities got to him some way. They sure make a ton of money off of trafficking illegals and refugees.
Governor Lee needs to understand criminals will get guns no matter how many laws you put in place. They will take those guns and kill people. Just look at the states that have the strictest gun laws they also have the highest murder and crime rates. What we need to make our schools SAFER. No glass doors. One point of access and exit that is manned at all times by an armed SRO. We also should allow teachers to carry if they wish to do so. The only solution for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun and that sir is a FACT. All these lefties that want gun laws really want a full blown ban on all guns and they do it by chipping away at our rights little by little. They will never stop making their demands. Give them and inch and they take a mile. Just like the legislators that were thrown out of office and let back in. Now they know they have the upper hand and have done nothing but cause trouble since they were let back in. Weak leadership is the corner stone of TN government.
So Bill Lee, you gonna put law abiding gun owners at the mercy of liberal judges.
What a total disregard for the US Constitution you are Bill Lee!
Bill Lee doesn’t give the first damn about freedom!
I am a life long resident of Tennessee but, if this passes, I am moving to Alabama.
The only thing Billy Lee knows is HVAC and how to triple down on being a tyrant.
“There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons,” Lee added. Good luck with that. The damn democrats just let these violent felons right back out on the streets after they are arrested.
The money is flowing in Nashville now. People lacking the intestinal fortitude to serve the public trust in the face of big dollars and hysterical mobs are cracking whips in every direction. It is quite interesting that the Tennessee Legislature has been picked by the lunatics on the left as the battle ground for the soul of our nation. I can only imagine that a long list of political insiders are desperately trying to position their political machines for the windfall of money and influence that comes as a result of this battle.
Lee must have got a call from his buddy Biden
Tennessee seems to have a recurring ‘big’ problem with its governors who REFUSE to accept NO for an answer (e.g., Sundquist with his state income tax bill, and now Lee with his ‘gun grab’ bill however he might try to ‘sugar coat’ it). Maybe Tennessee should just ‘cut to the chase’ and adopt an amendment to its state constitution banning consecutive gubernatorial terms. Or better yet, maybe Tennessee governors should henceforth just be limited to ONE four-year term as Governor for that person’s life—PERIOD! He’s DONE, and he’s OUT, and it’s OVER!
The Second Amendment is NOT about duck hunting etc. as some ‘pols’ have claimed. The Second Amendment is a POLITICAL RIGHT! The Second Amendment is THE ONE political right that—when all else fails—protects all of the other political rights. (i.e., Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto reportedly wrote to the Japanese Emperor before WWII began, saying: “One cannot invade mainland United States because there is a rifle behind every blade of grass.”)
I wonder how Governor Lee would ‘feel’ about it if leftist legislator Democrats and/or a few thousand screaming college Marxist student protestors wanted the Tennessee General Assembly to ban free speech, or a free press, or the right for one to exercise his religious faith as he sees fit, etc.? If the leftist pressures became so intense upon him that Lee could no longer personally refuse, would Lee then call for a special session of the legislature, and insist that the General Assembly do such things?
Logically, legally, constitutionally (meaning that NO mere temporary legislative majority can take such rights away) the right of the people to keep and bear arms is no less important in an American citizen’s panoply of legally protected political rights than any other political right! THAT is what “shall not be infringed’ means! This further means that WHEN I DO NOT CONSENT, my rights can only be taken away IF the U. S. Constitution itself is FIRST CHANGED so that this may be done! And I do not think that the political left in our country will EVER be able to muster the votes to do this! And THAT is why leftist mobs scream, and yell, and jump up and down, to try to persuade people like Governor Lee to propose legislation like his ‘gun grab’ bill.