Legislative session was a stark tale of two differing views on gun laws – Johnson City Press (subscription)

Tennessees 112th General Assembly adjourned last month with special interest groups giving lawmakers starkly different grades when it comes to addressing gun issues.

Tennessee Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, two grassroots volunteer organizations working to end gun violence and lax gun laws, issued a joint statement praising legislators for concluding the two-year session without advancing a single gun lobby priority.

Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a news release: Were thrilled to be celebrating a session with no bad gun bills passed, but we know far more needs to be done to make our state safe from gun violence.

Meanwhile, officials with the Tennessee Firearms Association decried what it called the Republican supermajority in the General Assemblys absolute failure on Second Amendment issues in 2022.

John Harris, the executive director of the TFA, said in a news release issued after lawmakers adjourned in April that his gun owner rights organization had tracked more than 50 bills this year.

He said only a portion of those bills were truly strong pro-Second Amendment legislation and none of the really strong ones even got a floor vote in both houses or in most instances in either house.

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Harris said with the failure of the GOP leadership to pass key gun laws this year, he concludes that Gov. Bill Lee is not a strong Second Amendment supporter and Republicans in both chambers played a role in killing pro-gun legislation

One might conclude that there is, however, a significant and perhaps growing number of Republican legislators who are truly Second Amendment supporters, Harris noted in his statement last month. You see this not necessarily in the bills that are sponsored, but as evidenced by their willingness to argue for these bills in subcommittees, committees and on the floor when the opportunities arise. It is critical going forward to 2023 and beyond that those true advocates be joined with new legislators who are true stewards of our rights.

McFadyen-Ketchum said Moms Demand Action hopes to build upon this years success on Capitol Hill.

We will take this momentum right back into the fight as we continue to urge lawmakers to prioritize public safety beyond the legislative session, she said.

She said hers and other gun safety organizations will be pointing out to state legislators the correlation between Tennessees 32nd ranking for the strength of the its gun laws and statistics that show in an average year, 1,273 people die by guns in Tennessee.

{p class=p3}Gun safety advocates say they lobbied heavily this year to derail passage of a number of harmful gun bills, including HB1735, which would have lowered the age requirement for carrying a concealed, loaded handgun in public from 21 to 18, and HB2554, which would have allowed people with enhanced carry permits to carry firearms in all places at all times with limited exceptions.

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Legislative session was a stark tale of two differing views on gun laws - Johnson City Press (subscription)