According to State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville), also a candidate for mayor of Nashville, Gov. Bill Lee (R) met with Campbell in early April before he announced his August special session of the General Assembly, the focus of which will be to pass red flag gun control laws.
“I met with the Governor prior to his announcement of the special session but have not heard from him about this bill package,” Campbell told The Tennessee Star Friday. “My office would welcome the opportunity.”
Thursday, Campbell announced that she introduced 17 anti-gun bills, including a red flag law, which Lee says he is specifically pursuing during the upcoming special session.
“The Families Know First Act would allows [sic] a court to issue a risk protection order upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence that a person poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to the person or others if allowed to possess or purchase a firearm; authorizes a law enforcement officer or a relative to petition for the risk protection order,” Campbell said of her proposed red flag legislation.
Some of the other bills demand that Tennessee do away with its Constitutional Carry law, limit magazine capacity to 10 rounds or fewer, require that firearms be locked inside the trunk of vehicles at all times, ban “assault weapons” and bump stocks, implement a 72-hour waiting period to obtain a gun after purchase and require a government permit to purchase a weapon.
“After the bipartisan outcry that our entire nation witnessed from Tennessee citizens in the final weeks of our last session, it is appalling that state legislators are speaking out in opposition to our Governor’s call for a special session to address the epidemic of gun violence terrorizing our communities,” Campbell said in announcing her bills. “The people we represent have called on us to pass common sense measures that have been proven to save lives while respecting the rights of lawful gun owners. There is no higher calling than protecting the lives of our children.”
Campbell ran for U.S. Congress in Tennessee’s fifth congressional district. She lost by a wide margin to Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05).
The news of Campbell’s meeting with Lee comes after he reportedly met with rabid anti-gun Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), who led a riot at the state capitol in the name of gun control after the mass shooting at The Covenant School that left six dead.
“We’re heading to the governor’s office so these students can meet with the governor about the special session and the urgency about having the special session before school starts and to make sure it prioritizes the common sense gun reform that these young people asked him for,” Jones said in a May 12 video while walking through the hallway of the state Capitol.
🗣️❤️🔥WATCH: “This state elected Bill Lee governor. NOT THE NRA.”
Rep. @brotherjones_ & students meet with @GovBillLee asking him to “protect kids not guns”, but he still won’t commit to making the August special session about common sense Gun reform… or even say the word.🤔 pic.twitter.com/MVGcIbg1ou
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) May 12, 2023
Lee’s office would not confirm whether that meeting took place.
It is unclear whether Lee has met with any Republican officials to discuss his gun control agenda.
His office could not be reached for comment Friday.
Ahead of the special legislative session, Tennessee House Republicans have already said that red-flag laws are a non-starter.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Heidi Campbell” by Senator Heidi Campbell. Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee. Background Photo “Tennessee State Capitol” by Gatorfan252525. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Not sure why he would give DUI Heidi an audience. Or the insurrectionist Jones for that matter.
If his goal is to completely piss off his base and hand the state over to Democrats the next go ’round, it’s working.
How about a government issued permit to vote, since she wants government permits to have access to other rights GUARANTEED by our Constitution. I guess Dimokrats get to choose which Constitutional rights are valid for Americans.
William, let’s hope so. But these days I no longer trust anyone.
So he met with the wackos? Lee has been great! I’m old enough to remember Haslem. Tell me how this meeting matters when none of this will make it out of the TN house?
Send this anti-American a copy of the Constitution then tell her to take her bills and shove them. Even if EVERY bill is passed and signed by the Governor WE THE PEOPLE are not obligated to obey and we better not. Any law, EO or international agreement that violates the Constitution is null an void. WAKE UP and use the power our founders gave us. We DO NOT have to follow their unjust laws or regulations. Join us at: tncss.substack.com (Tennessee Citizens for State Sovereignty. Learn about Nullification and the Anti-Commandeering Doctrine. Sign up, get educated and support this effort.
Three names to remember when speaking of progressive Lefty’s of the Democrat persuasion.
Social Democrat; Lenin and Stalin. Democratic National Socialist; Adolf Hitler.
Not to know History is to repeat History.
We no longer know History in the United States, we are now repeating it.
Also, if anyone has the ears of Zelensky, try to mention to him to stop wearing shirts with Nazi Emblems.
Time to borrow a page from the leftist handbook and incarcerate Heidi Campbell.
ALL elected officials to an oath to support the Tennessee Constitution which includes the Declaration of Rights. Therefore, all of the proposed anti armed self defense bills are UNLAWFUL since KEEPING and CARRYING arms for self defense is a RIGHT which are inviolable! State government only has delegated power for “regulating the WEARING of arms with a view to prevent crime.” (Article I, Section 26)That would be requiring side arms be holstered and long arms be carried with a sling.
ALL elected officials who refuse their oath of office should resign or be removed!
The fact that Governor Lee met with Heidi Cambell does not mean squat. If Lee WERE really serious about supporting any gun reform bill that progressives and leftists want, he would not have done the following two things:
1. Get the Legislature to pass a law to grant immunity to gun manufacturers when a criminal uses their weapons in Tennessee for a criminal offense, especially mass murder; and
2. He would not wait until August to conduct his hearings on the assumption that students and their parents will be too busy enjoying their vacation to have any time to mount mass protests.
No, Steve, Governor Lee is MERELY gaslighting leftist and progressive voters by tricking them into thinking that he will actually push and PASS far-reaching gun control. It’s a hoax, Steve!
Based on current trends of false flag events, the only thing that needs to be outlawed are the trannies and non-whites who are the perpetrators….
Governor Lee did a decent job in his first four years, but you know he’s really not a conservative.
He would never have wavered on the second amendment in his first term .
The usual leftist gun grabber wish list. They forgot to include knives, baseball bats, shovels, rolling pins, frying pans, and automobiles.
Now that liberalism has been clinically proven to be a psychological disorder;
https://redstate.com/brandon_morse/2023/05/26/with-mental-illness-on-the-left-now-proven-we-need-to-figure-out-if-the-chicken-came-before-the-egg-n751949
It’s on full display in Nashville. I wonder how many republican representatives have been/will be threatened to vote for this legislation….or else.
The governor sends 100 national guard troops to the border but what is he doing to protect our legislators and citizens from the threats of the mentally deranged democrats?
Thank God we still have a conservative majority in the legislature and this liberal clap-trap will go nowhere.
Bill Lee is a traitor and is screwing over legal gun owners.
Lee is colluding with the enemy and does but even care!