Williamson County Sheriff Candidate Jeff Hughes Addresses Opposition to Permitless Carry Bill in 2022

Williamson County Sheriff candidate Jeff Hughes

Former chief of Brentwood Police Jeff Hughes, who is running for Williamson County Sheriff, addressed controversy surrounding his stance in 2022 against a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly allowing for the permitless carry of firearms.

Hughes said his stance against the bill was coming from a matter of “public safety and officer safety,” specifically regarding the bill’s lack of training requirement for gun owners.

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Gun Rights Group Sues Tennessee over Permitless Carry Law – Says Age Limit Violates Second Amendment Rights

The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) is suing the state of Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of its new permitless carry law. The coalition filed on behalf of three Tennessean men ages 18, 19, and 20 – they argue that the law excludes an entire class of law-abiding adults because it doesn’t apply to adults under 21 years old.

“[T]he State completely denies the right to bear arms to all law-abiding adults under age 21, prohibiting the plaintiffs, and those similarly situated to them, from carrying loaded, operable handguns outside their home for self-defense, in violation of their Second Amendment rights,” asserted FPC’s press release.

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Democrat State Rep Larry Miller Pushed Amendment to Appoint Anti-Gun Activists to All Tennessee Gun Regulation Boards, Commissions

State Representative Larry Miller (D-Memphis) proposed an amendment empowering one of his endorsers, a gun control group, with gun regulation power. Miller withdrew the amendment during the final House vote on the bill, which authorized permitless carry.

The amendment was short and to the point: the governor must appoint a Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (Moms Demand Action) representative to all boards and commissions regulating firearm ownership.   

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Constitutional Carry Bill Passes in House, Now Heads to Governor’s Desk

The Tennessee House passed the bill allowing permitless open or concealed carry, dubbed the “constitutional carry bill.” It will head to Governor Bill Lee’s desk, where it’s expected to be signed.

Under the bill, anyone 21 and older could lawfully carry without a permit, for both open and concealed carry. These provisions would only apply to handguns. A slew of House amendments proposed to the bill were withdrawn.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Blisters Republican-led Legislature For ‘Pitiful’ 2nd Amendment Protections

Firearms blue

The recently ended legislative year in Nashville was “pitiful” in terms of protecting gun rights, a state firearms advocacy group says in a report. The “Tennessee Firearms Association 2018 Legislative Report and Review” takes the Republican super-majority in the General Assembly to task on 15 new laws and/or amendments to existing laws. “Based on their actions this year there is really no evidence that the Republican super-majority, as a whole, is a strong proponent and defender of those individual and personal rights which are recognized and protected by the 2nd Amendment and Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution,” the report says. That is despite 57 bills that were either introduced or were active after Jan. 1 of this year that “would have implemented changes that would have made Tennessee a much better state for the free exercise of our constitutionally protected rights.” The Tennessee Firearms Association says those “good” bills that failed would, among other things, have: Implemented constitutional carry; Implemented permitless open carry; Implemented the 2018 Second Amendment Protections Act (a significant rewrite of several existing laws) to bring them more in compliance with the 2nd Amendment’s prohibitions against government infringements. This includes a prohibition on local…

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