Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed John Harris of the Tennessee Firearms Association to the newsmakers line to weigh in on Joe Biden’s gun control executive order and whether or not Tennessee legislators will respond.
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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 A slew of House amendments proposed to the bill were withdrawn.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee Firearm Association’s John Harris to the studio to define and discuss the three bills pertaining to constitutional carry gun rights legislation.
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Members of the Nashville-based Tennessee Firearms Association on Wednesday said members of the Tennessee General Assembly are considering three permit-less carry bills, but one of them does not fully comply with the Second Amendment. TFA Executive Director John Harris told followers by email that the bill to which he refers, Senate Bill 765, is scheduled to make its way to the Tennessee State Senate floor Thursday. The Tennessee General Assembly’s website identifies the sponsor as State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin).
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Rep. Clay Doggett to the newsmakers line to talk about constitutional carry legislation and the importance of getting involved at the local level.
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The recently-introduced Second Amendment Sanctuary Act isn’t all that novel, and may need different enforcement mechanisms if it’s to succeed. This, according to Tennessee Firearms Association Executive Director John Harris. In interviews with The Tennessee Star, Harris and State Representative Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City) discussed the merits and shortcomings of Campbell’s latest gun rights bill.
Harris predicted that this legislation would fail to fix the original problem presented in a nearly-identical bill signed into law in 2015. He added that another similar bill, the Firearms Freedom Act – made law in 2009 in response to President Barack Obama taking office – affords a similar defense against federal government actions, though he noted that enforcement of those two laws hasn’t occurred.
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The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) announced its support for what it called a “real” constitutional carry bill filed by State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) for the upcoming legislative session.
Late last week, John Harris, Executive Director of TFA, “Tennessee’s only no-compromise gun organization,” sent an email to its members and released a podcast discussing Griffey’s HB0018.
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Tennesseans should have the right to protect their property, State Representative Jay D. Reedy (R-Erin) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview.
Reedy introduced House Bill 11. Tracking information is here. Reedy said it mirrors the law in Texas.
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At a press conference Thursday surrounded by more than 40 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, Governor Bill Lee announced that he will be introducing legislation supporting the God-given and constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans with a Constitutional Carry bill.
Word of an announcement that would generically expand “constitutional rights” got out late Wednesday, although the Tennessee Firearms Association’s Executive Director John Harris said that they were made aware weeks ago of a major announcement on a 2A issue that TFA members would likely be pleased with.
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HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee – As the Sumner County Board of Commissioners are scheduled take up a Second Amendment Sanctuary County Resolution Monday, citizens gathered in support of their God-given constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.
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The executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association wants all gun owners in the state to know about what he calls “Walmart’s increasing anti-gun stance.” In a column posted on the TFT website Tuesday, Executive Director John Harris said Walmart is no longer “a truly ‘American’ store. “Even worse…
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The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) has filed an Amicus Curiae (Friend of the Court) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the matter of Jeremy Kettler v. U.S. urging the Court to hear the case on appeal from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief was filed on Feb.…
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State Senator Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) has gotten the attention of local and national gun rights activist groups for promising to introduce a “red flag” bill in the upcoming legislative session. So-called red flag laws permit a judge to issue an order to seize firearms from a lawful owner based upon…
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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…
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The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) released its 2018 state legislature and gubernatorial candidate surveys on Friday. TFA executive director John Harris told The Tennessee Star that many candidates provided responses that were less than fully forthcoming. “A lot of candidates tell us, or put in their literature, that they are…
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The far-left organizers of the Nashville gun control march that drew some 10,000 people of all ages to the city’s downtown on Saturday portrayed the event as an exercise in political democracy to “keep students safe in school,” but Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) Executive Director John Harris told The Tennessee Star in…
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This year’s annual event held by the Tennessee Firearms Association Legislative Action Committee will be Saturday, Sept. 30. The event will take place at the Smiley Hollow Farm just north of Nashville in the Goodlettsville area. It’s a casual event with casual attire and will feature a meal, speakers and…
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The city of Knoxville is bracing for demonstrations Saturday afternoon featuring a rally in support of a Confederate monument and counterprotesters, but a prohibition on firearms is raising concerns among some gun rights advocates. Because of the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, two weeks ago, Knoxville city officials are…
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JACKSON, Tennessee– Gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers told a meeting of the Tennessee Firearms Association here on Thursday night that in the event of an attack similar to the shooting of Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) in Virginia on Wednesday, “before police arrive, those of us who have secured permits…
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A significant majority of likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee support constitutional carry, according to results of The Tennessee Star Poll released this week. When asked, “In 2018, the Tennessee General Assembly is also expected to reconsider a bill that would allow Tennesseans to carry firearms without obtaining a state…
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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is asking Gov. Bill Haslam to veto a bill that would require cities and counties to enhance security at public venues or allow permit holders to carry handguns. The legislation would apply to parks, zoos, buses, auditoriums, museums, fairs and more. Places like Bridgestone Arena and Nissan…
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