Monday, March 9, 2009

More Tennessee State Gun Laws

Welcome Instapundit readers, to my very first Instalanche! Y'all come on back anytime.

Welcome, all you readers of IMAO. Contrary to what you might have heard, Frank J is funnier than I am. Just a little.


A quick rundown follows. To see more detail, click here (emphasis mine).

  • An amendment to the Tennessee Constitution recognizing the citizens’ right to hunt and fish.
  • Authorize Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) to issue sport fishing and hunting licenses at no cost to Tennessee residents who are 100 percent disabled and receive social security disability.
  • Allows a person who has a valid Right-to-Carry permit to carry a firearm into restaurants where alcohol may be served, as long as the permit holder is not consuming alcohol or is not otherwise prohibited by posting provisions.
  • Authorize persons with handgun permits to carry a handgun while hunting big game during bow-hunting deer season.
  • Allow a person who has received voluntary inpatient mental health care to apply for a handgun carry permit if the hospitalization was at least five years earlier and the applicant attaches a statement from a doctor that the applicant does not pose an immediate risk of serious harm due to mental illness.
  • Delete the requirement to give a thumbprint as part of the background check process when purchasing a firearm.
  • Allow any resident who has a valid handgun carry permit to possess a handgun while within the boundaries of any state park.
  • Authorize a person with a handgun carry permit to possess a firearm while in local, state or federal parks.
  • Authorize a person with a handgun carry permit to possess a firearm in a refuge, public hunting area, wildlife management area, or on national forest land.
  • Prohibit the sale of microstamped firearms or ammunition in Tennessee
  • Give authorization to the Department of Safety to present the service weapon to the spouse or child of an officer killed in the line of duty.
  • Prohibit the destruction of confiscated firearms and require them to be auctioned off or sold to a federally licensed firearms dealers. Proceeds from the sale of these firearms are to be used for the benefit of law enforcement agencies.
Common sense gun laws, one and all.

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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

It amazes me how much redundancy there is in the bills proposed in the TN Legislature... Do the reps not look at what each other is writing?

Rustmeister said...

I think it's a wording issue, some may have a better chance than others.

At least that's my guess.

Anonymous said...

It is about time for a law to prohibit the destruction, never could see why any State would do this. But then government is experience in wasting money. Just moved to TN, go for my class this Sat.

Rustmeister said...

Good on ya, anon. Hope you enjoy it.

al said...

Does Tennessee run a class on sensible legislation that we can send the idiots from Illinois to?

Anonymous said...

I don't quite get the point of hunting and fishing licenses for the 100% disabled. Or perhaps there is a special legislative definition of 100%?

Rustmeister said...

Yeah, it doesn't mean "totally broke", it just means the sum total of your disabilities add up to 100%.

For example, sleep apnia can get you a 50% disability rating right there.

Add a couple bad knees and other minor things, and 100% isn't too hard to get.

Unknown said...

All common sense except the last one. Allowing the police to auction guns off and keep the proceeds will create an incentive for them to take guns. You will always see an increase in any action that you incentivize. Prohibiting destruction is fine, but the auction should be completely out of law enforcement control and the proceeds should go into the general fund of the state.

Anonymous said...

Can you carry a gun in the trunk while in a park, bar, school, etc., when you don't have a concealed weapon permit?

Rustmeister said...

Not loaded. The gun has to be separate from the ammo.

My Permit instructor also said if you leave a gun in the car and go into a building you could be charged with abandoning the weapon.

Anonymous said...

Voluntary inpatient mental
health care is not a
disability if the person was
not diagnosed or adjudicated
mentally defective. The state
Attorney General ruled on this
in 2003.
Why murk up the water with
a new law needing a letter
from a doctor.

Rustmeister said...

That's on the national level. I'm not clear on the state's requirements, but it's entirely possible that this law isn't needed.

Anonymous said...

You can read the TN Attorney
General's opinion here;
http://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/op/2003/OP/OP118.pdf#search='tennessee%20mental%20institution'

Anonymous said...

Here is the entire link sorry.
http://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/op/2003/OP/OP118.pdf#search='tennessee%20mental%20institution'

PeterT said...

Hmm, about the 'abandoning a weapon' bit... Would not a locked car deal with that? What would the difference between a locked car and a locked house?

PeterT

Rustmeister said...

I dunno, it was probably just a seat of the pants thing from my instructor. I'd never heard of that before, either.

Anonymous said...

Please forgive this rube from Chicago who just stumbled in here from Instapundit.
Do I understand correctly that if I'm visiting the great state of Tennessee, Florida non-res permit in pocket and Colt elsewhere, I can't get off my bike and walk into a restaurant that serves alcholic beverages without degunning like I was at the Illinois line?
Just trying to make sure I've got it right.

Anonymous said...

Allow a person who has received voluntary inpatient mental health care to apply for a handgun carry permit if the hospitalization was at least five years earlier and the applicant attaches a statement from a doctor that the applicant does not pose an immediate risk of serious harm due to mental illness.

I received an explanation of this from the bill's sponsor, and it allows those formerly disqualified because they were diagnosed as mentally ill to apply for a permit with a doctor's letter stating they are no threat to society, after five years. I suggested they might word it differently so as not to stigmatize those who enter a hospital for depression etc. and are discharged with no diagnosis of mental illness.

Anonymous said...

How hard/difficult is it to obtain a concealed carry permit there.

Tim in PRK

Rustmeister said...

Taking for granted you don't have a criminal past or mental issues, it's simple.

The total cost is just under $200, total class time is 8 hours, and you don't even have to own a gun.

The only hangup is waiting for the permit to come to your house, which can take 6 weeks or more.

Anonymous said...

These are PROPOSED laws. The carry in a restaurant that may serve alcohol bill (erroneously called "guns in bars" by the banners) has been proposed every year I've been here (8 so far) and the commie speaker of the house, Jimmy Naifeh, would always find a way to have his pet committees kill it. The "Republican" speaker of the house that replaced Naifeh was chosen by the 49 democrats plus his own vote, so I'm thinking Naifeh is pulling the strings still.

Currently you can't carry in a Chilis or other type restaurant because they serve alcohol.

Don't be getting too proud of TN politics either. Sure both of our senators have the R after their names, but they are decidedly not conservatives.

Rustmeister said...

Yeah, I'm wondering what these bills are gonna do once the time comes to pass them.

As for our Senatory, ol' Lamar hasn't been making me very happy as of late, Bob's doing a bit better.