Official Thread for TN House / Senate Override of HB0962 Gubernatorial Veto

[Guest SUNTZU]

Getting ready to send my response.

Hi sir and staffers,

My name is Daniel, Dan, or Danny. It never was, is, or will be Diane. Thanks for taking the extra effort.

[Guest HexHead]

Well, the House is back to talking about water.

[Guest KWW67]

It's not 1:00 yet......

[Guest HexHead]

Mine said "Dear Friend"....i AIN'T his damn friend!!!!!!!

Mine was addressed to me by name.

[Guest vandutton]

Updates from the house? Overridden yet?

[TGO David]

Guys, I am splitting most of the replies from yesterday and all of the replies today apart from the previous HB0962 thread and placing them in this new thread. It will make it easier to track what's going on and prevent the other thread from sprawling out into a 300 page monster.

Thanks.

[jay1313g]

Will Naifeh please shut up and move on!!!

[Punisher84]

ARGHHH! So intense...

[Guest HexHead]

I've been watching an awful lot of House and Senate sessions lately. I can't help but get a laugh out of all those comments in the paper from the left wing liberal loons saying "I can't understand why the Legislature is wasting their time with gun laws when they should be concentrating on the important issues to Tennesseans."

They've obviously never watched a single session. LOLOLOLOL

[TGO David]

Any interested parties can watch the proceedings here:

Tennessee General Assembly::Streaming Video

[TGO David]

I'm learning a butt-ton about water quality by watching today's session.

[Guest db99wj]

I've been watching an awful lot of House and Senate sessions lately. I can't help but get a laugh out of all those comments in the paper from the left wing liberal loons saying "I can't understand why the Legislature is wasting their time with gun laws when they should be concentrating on the important issues to Tennesseans."

They've obviously never watched a single session. LOLOLOLOL

Well if they happen to be catching this one, like I am listening, they now know Selenium is very important and is not a poison and our livestock need it in their feed.

[Guest HexHead]

Greaaaatttt. 21 Reps are still waiting to talk about water and more are still raising their hands to be heard. This is going to take all day. ;(

[GKar]

My response to the email from my newly-found "friend" in the governor's office:

------------------------------------------------------------------

Guns and alcohol don't mix - that truism has been oft-quoted in relation to this bill, but it always seem to be missing a vital part (as is your reasoning below). More properly, it should be stated that "guns and consuming alcohol don't mix". If you meant to say "guns and proximity to alcohol don't mix", I would have to point you to the current legal situation in Tennessee and myriad other states where carry permit holders are allowed to possess firearms when in stores and other establishments that sell alcohol off-premises: a situation that the available data strongly suggests is not problematic in any regard. HB0962 contains an absolute requirement that the carry permit holder cannot consume alcohol while in possession of a firearm. You and others conveniently leave out that recognition, nor have you addressed how that prohibition is in your eyes inadequate - instead, you seem much more comfortable with the more gutteral and very inaccurate generalism that initiates this response. It may play well in the media, but upon scrutiny it is revealed to be a woefully inept attempt at justification for your action.

At no time have you or the much-ballyhooed "law enforcement professionals" (the ambitious, politically-driven component of the law enforcement community that appeared with you in your grandstanding announcement of the veto, as opposed to the truly operative component of that community to whom we owe so very much) made recognition of the reality that Tennessee is in the vast minority of states with regards to this regulation, nor have you or they pointed out how the data from those states' experiences compares with that from Tennessee history - could it be that this validation of your position does not, in actuality, exist? Perhaps you believe that we, your constituents, are not capable of assimilating such a comparison - let me assure you that would be a false assumption. Indeed, we are not only quite capable of understanding it, but are also capable of seeing through the lack of your efforts to provide same in defense of your position. We are also quite capable of thinking for ourselves, and not depending on our governor to play the role of benevolent overseer, lookingt for our best intersts when in reality our voice was previously heard through our duly elected legislators.

Sir, I am disappointed with you, and frankly appalled at your lack of integrity as demonstrated by your lame attempt to explain this very transparent, politically-motivated decision. I hope you enjoy your future position in the Obama administration to which you so most obviously aspire.

------------------------------------------------------------------

[Fallguy]

I'm learning a butt-ton about water quality by watching today's session.

LOL...yep, more than I ever wanted to know....

[Billco]

How in the world did HB1204 ever get out of committee. This sounds like a congressional inquest!!!!

[Guest vandutton]

Any interested parties can watch the proceedings here:

Tennessee General Assembly::Streaming Video

I would. But I'm sitting in class reading on my blackberry.....

[GKar]

Good - the water bill is the most dangerous bill he's seen to date!

How do these people find their way home at night?

[creeky]

This sounds like a congressional inquest!!!!

More like "incest".

(Scoot on over paw... give me ah' turn at that there microphone!)

[Guest HexHead]

McCord must be getting one hell of a campaign contribution from those coal companies.

[Guest thorn]

The cute blonde sitting down while the last guy was talking was the only thing that made it bearable - keep us posted you guys are troopers!

[Fallguy]

The cute blonde sitting down while the last guy was talking was the only thing that made it bearable - keep us posted you guys are troopers!

+1

[Guest canynracer]

WTF...who is this dude talking about fish?

[creeky]

The "Lorax" I think.

(He also speaks for the trees I hear.)

[Guest canynracer]

Oh...add me to the Can O Govenor email reply...

June 3, 2009

Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me about gun-related bills which have been considered by the General Assembly this year.

Let me be very clear: I am a strong supporter of the right to keep and bear arms. I am, and have always been, committed to preserving the rights of the Second Amendment. They are basic American rights, protected by the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution as well. Even so, these rights, for more than two centuries, have come with reasonable and necessary rules and guidelines. For this reason, I carefully consider each bill that reaches my desk and evaluate it on its own merits.

As you know, I decided to veto House Bill 962, which would permit the possession of firearms in Tennessee restaurants and bars. In my view, this particular bill crossed the line of reason.

I have been a gun owner for more than 50 years. When I was a young man, I took my first gun safety class-sponsored by the NRA-at my high school. There was one message conveyed during that class that has been imprinted on me since, and it was this: guns and alcohol don't mix. That is as true today as it was then.

It is because of this principle that Tennessee state law has long prohibited the possession of firearms in places that serve alcohol. House Bill 962 would remove this safeguard in a manner that I, as well as many law enforcement officers, believe would be reckless and lacking safeguards to ensure public safety. A key role of government is to ensure public safety. To do that, government must strike a balance between the rights afforded to us by the Constitution and common-sense rules that must be applied to the exercise of these rights.

I believe we can exercise our second amendment rights and common sense at the same time - and guns and bars simply don't mix. Because of this, I vetoed this bill and respectfully asked the legislature to rethink this issue.

As other bills reach my desk-including legislation related to guns in parks, loaded firearms in automobiles, and others-I intend to review them carefully with both the Constitutional rights of gun owners and the safety of the general public in mind. Please be assured that your views are, and will remain, important to me on these issues and others related to state government.

Warmest regards,

Phil Bredesen