Tennessee General Assembly

[Worriedman]

Legislation aimed at restoring out Right to Arms as intended by the Founders of Tennessee, codified in our Original Constitution of 1796 which stated: Article 11 Section 26  "That the free men of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defence." is currently being held up by the Senate.

We have good solid House members who will bring legislation and a leadership that is while not gung-ho on our issues, is not obstructive.  The current Speaker is not a man who is overly concerned with gun Rights, but, he is a politician who I truly believe has sights on higher office.  Most likely a run for Governor in '26, and as such, wants to have any very vocal has money and willing to work conservative minority unopposed to his ascension.  (State wide radio adds this last session prove that gun Rights activist can have an effect, the switch board at the General Assembly was shut down for a full week due to the number of calls generated by a call to action and bill boards put up in strategic districts.)  House Champions are Rep.s Clay Doggett, Rusty Grills and Chris Todd.  (Doggett sits as Chair of Judiciary Sub Committee, he is a great man and a true supporter of our Rights, Todd and Grills are strong advocates as well and work hard to further our cause.

Our problem is the Senate.  This is a group of Untouchables that stand with their foot on the neck of restorative legislation and the Don of that family is Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.  In negotiations on the "Constitutional Carry" issues last session, the mantra was "we got everything the Lt. Gov. would allow."  In talking with the NRA lobbyist, he specifically stated that the constriction to true Constitutional Carry was the Lt. Gov., and he should know, he worked for him for years and helped put the current Senate ion place as he was in charge of campaigns for the GOP, and served as an aid to Gov. Bill Lee prior to taking the position of lobbyist with the NRA. (Side note, TFA and the NRA actually are trying to mend fences, and, get them to realize that Tennesseans should be involved in dealing with Tennessee issues, the prior lobbyist from the NRA was a Democrat from Virginia who donated money to Ralph Northam, not someone who should be sitting like a hen on our rights I think...I was a Life Member of the NRA before the current lobbyist was born.)

Current Champions in the Senate for our issues are Paul Rose, Kerry Roberts and Mike Bell.  They sit on the most important committee (Senate Judiciary) and I believe Senator Rose to be the best man in that organization.  I can get a meeting with him and he will listen to the facts, we try to get our House sponsors to work with him, if he sponsors a bill it is going to go forward.  Senator Joey Hensley also is on our side.

However the main hurdle to good solid restorative legislation is the Lt. Gov.
 

[Whisper]

1 hour ago, Worriedman said:

However the main hurdle to good solid restorative legislation is the Lt. Gov.

This applies not only to RKBA but to other issues as well.  

[Pong]

This is a new issue for me. Perhaps you could point to an introduction to this restorative legislation movement.

As encouraging as it was to see the passing of permitless carry, I suppose we are still vulnerable to the actions of future legislators. Is that what this idea aims to prevent?

[gregintenn]

So how do we oust McNally?

[Worriedman]

4 hours ago, gregintenn said:

So how do we oust McNally?

Sadly we most likely can not, hopefully he retires. soon.  Other than that, get enough true Conservatives elected to the Senate to vote him out as Lt. Gov., but that is a real stretch.

 

[Worriedman]

4 hours ago, Pong said:

This is a new issue for me. Perhaps you could point to an introduction to this restorative legislation movement.

As encouraging as it was to see the passing of permitless carry, I suppose we are still vulnerable to the actions of future legislators. Is that what this idea aims to prevent?

The above quoted section of our original Constitution says it all.  Free men do not need permission from the government to bear arms, long guns or handguns. 

Article 1 Section 1 of our State Declaration of Rights, says thus:

Section 1. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.

Section 2 says:

That government being instituted for the common benefit, the doctrine of non-resistance against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.

We the People are supposed to be in charge of this government, it is our money that funds it, and it is supposed to serve us.  The legislature now has the power by law to regulate the wearing of arms, but only with a view to prevent crime, put in the 1870 Constitution to keep the freed slaves from having arms.  Took from then till 1995 to allow us to legally carry a firearm, and that with a tax.   The legislature thinks they are supposed to be in charge of who can carry what when and where, but that is not how it is set up, it is just how it has morphed to them being able to sell you your rights.

H.L. Mencken said "The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can't get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods." Never truer words were spoken.

[bobsguns]

On 9/23/2021 at 1:09 PM, gregintenn said:

So how do we oust McNally?

Either catch him doing something dirty like John Ford & Ray Blanton or wait for him to turn senile like John Wilder. 

Some say the Lt Gov position wields more power via the legislature than the Gov does. I don't know I can argue against that, IMO.