Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
On gun rights, one of the most important efforts out there is constitutional carry. The idea of requiring a permit in order to bear arms lawfully is an anathema to the Second Amendment, something none of us should be forced to tolerate. In a way, constitutional carry is the current Holy Grail of gun rights.
Unfortunately, in the last couple of years, far too few states seem interested in pursuing it.
One state that may not have much of an issue seems to be Tennesee. After all, when the governor is leading the charge, that’s usually a good sign.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday went public with his plans to bring a constitutional carry law to the Volunteer State.
The proposal would recognize the right for those 21 or older in Tennessee to carry a handgun without a permit except for currently restricted areas. The move has the backing of Lt. Governor Randy McNally, state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and state House Majority Leader William Lamberth, support which would appear to guarantee clear sailing.
“The Second Amendment is clear and concise and secures the freedoms of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” said Lee in a press conference.
While the text of the proposal was not made available on Thursday, Lee said the move would put Tennessee in the same club as 16 other states who generally recognize the right to carry a concealed handgun without first having to get a permit.
When a governor makes a push on this, it’s usually a sign that the bill will get some traction. Even though they’re not part of the legislative branch, governors have a great deal of power and can affect legislation a great deal. That means there’s a good chance constitutional carry will become a thing in Tennessee.
The big winner will actually be the more economically disadvantaged citizens of the state. They won’t have to fork out money for a gun, then follow it up by forking out money for a permit, all so they can carry a gun for self-defense as the Founding Fathers intended. While Democrats often claim to be for the little guy, they keep trying to jack up the cost for self-defense.
By making constitutional carry the law, anyone who can legally carry a firearm–laws like this tend to only remove the permit requirement while all other requirements remain the same–is allowed to do so under the law without paying fees for a piece of paper. That means the poorer members of society in that state can take up a firearm and carry it to defend themselves in rough neighborhoods without having to worry about breaking the law themselves.
That’s a big win, one we should all be able to celebrate.
Unfortunately, there are some who think Big Nanny Government is the way to go and that people shouldn’t be empowered to act in their own self-interest on things like self-defense. They want people beholden to the state for protection; a state that actually has no duty to protect them per the courts time and time again.
So yeah, this is a good thing. May it pass swiftly.
Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger and lifetime shooter. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia. https://bearingarms.com/author/tomknighton/
https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2020/02/29/tn-gov-constitutional-carry/