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.
The Dems who run Memphis are soooo stupid. Until they get Common Sense, they’re hopeless. They need to be ridiculed.
Some Facts about Menphis (all these are true) >
– Memphis is the Most Dangerous City in the U.S. – Google that – on one list they’re # 1 and on another # 2.
– Last time I checked, they were an unofficial “Sanctuary City” because the Sheriff wouldn’t cooperate with ICE.
– Taking guns away from law-abiding people will make it more dangerous. Then only the criminals will have guns.
– Memphis’ nickname is “Memphganistan” and there’s a song by that name.
-Memphis is so dangerous that even MoneyBagg Yo (a famous rapper from Memphis) moved to Atlanta in 2022 to escape the violence in Memphis after his friend Big Nuskie was murdered. He has a family and kids and didn’t feel safe in Memphis.
– In 2018 the CEO of the Memphis Chamber was shot in the back of the head. A random robbery. Guys in a stolen car. They killed him first and then robbed him. Yep – back of the head. He had moved Downtown to prove that Memphis was safe. Google it if you doubt it.
– Electric and cable linemen can’t even go up a telephone pole without an armed guard on the ground because a criminal will stop, pull out a gun and say “Throw down your wallet”. Criminals drive around Memphis in stolen cars looking for opportunities.
Seriously – do NOT go there unless you must and if you go, carry a gun and be VERY alert – they will sneak up behind you.
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.