2015 TN Legislative Goals

[300winmag]

What legislative goals can we get behind with the NRA that have a chance of passing in the 2015 TN legislature?

[Omega]

I would like to have a law passed that would make CCW permit holders exempt from background checks (NICS) since the permit already verifies that we are able to own a firearm.  Since the NICS is only supposed to be a verification of legality to own and no other purpose, then a CCW permit makes it obsolete.

 

Thoughts?

[jtmaze]

Michigan has that and it makes it nice for there residents.


JTM
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[Q-tip]

Remove the ability to local governments to ban carry at parks. It's just too confusing for travelers and serves no purpose. 

[btq96r]

I would like to have a law passed that would make CCW permit holders exempt from background checks (NICS) since the permit already verifies that we are able to own a firearm.  Since the NICS is only supposed to be a verification of legality to own and no other purpose, then a CCW permit makes it obsolete.

 

Thoughts?

 

Two issues

 

# 1 (Logical):  Without the background check at the time of purchase, there is a time gap between when you were issued the purchase and when you are buying the firearm.  Not saying I agree with the principle, but that would be the argument.

 

# 2 (Financial):  The TBI and state coffers don't want to loose the money they get from the background checks.

 

They will give #1 as the reason, but #2 is why it would be killed like the open carry law.

 

 

Personally, I'd like to see universities that receive state funding be forced to allow HCP holders to carry on campus.  I walk a mile to and from campus daily to avoid putting short mileage on my truck and avoid the parking mess at MTSU.  I'm legislatively disarmed for a great portion of my day.  Simply allowing those who already meet our standard for carry to exercise the right would be treating adults like adults, IMO.  They are already doing it in a few other states with no issue.  No reason it couldn't be done here.

[300winmag]

I'd like to see the whole safe commute law modified and just add a sentence that people with handgun carry permits cannot be prosecuted for carrying anywhere outside of the vehicle (parks, no gun signs, schools, etc.) BUT that the property owner can ask someone to leave.

 

I think if you specify that property owners still have the ability to ask people to leave, something like that can pass.  Property owners do not want to lose the option to ask people to leave.  If you take that ability away from schools and business owners, that kind of bill would not pass.

 

I don't think most people want to slam folks with permits criminal charges, they just want to still be able to disallow guns. 

 

Remove the criminal penalties and the folks that are smart and conceal will not have to worry about problems.

[dawgdoc]

I would like to have a law passed that would make CCW permit holders exempt from background checks (NICS) since the permit already verifies that we are able to own a firearm.  Since the NICS is only supposed to be a verification of legality to own and no other purpose, then a CCW permit makes it obsolete.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

Works in Georgia this way.  Try to appeal to the legislator's state pride--anything Georgia can do, we can better type of stuff.  I just picked up my new Mini 14 last week with just my Georgia Weapons Carry License, which was fortunate because they were experiencing long waits on the background checks that day.

 

Since I spend a lot of time in Chattanooga and East Ridge, I would like to see the authority to ban guns in parks stripped from the local governments (which is how it is in Georgia; same argument as above).  A snarky person might ask, "Well Georgia likes to lose to Florida, but that doesn't mean we should too." (not applicable this year).

[Omega]

Works in Georgia this way.  Try to appeal to the legislator's state pride--anything Georgia can do, we can better type of stuff.  I just picked up my new Mini 14 last week with just my Georgia Weapons Carry License, which was fortunate because they were experiencing long waits on the background checks that day.

 

Since I spend a lot of time in Chattanooga and East Ridge, I would like to see the authority to ban guns in parks stripped from the local governments (which is how it is in Georgia; same argument as above).  A snarky person might ask, "Well Georgia likes to lose to Florida, but that doesn't mean we should too." (not applicable this year).

Yea, I liked that when I was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield,  it made having a permit easy to justify, cost wise.

[Oh Shoot]

...

 

# 2 (Financial):  The TBI and state coffers don't want to loose the money they get from the background checks.

 

They will give #1 as the reason, but #2 is why it would be killed like the open carry law.

 

Actually, they were pretty upfront in committee about the loss of revenue 2 years ago when this was tried, someone even proposed raising HCP fee by a certain amount, based on some formula that someone came up with about x numbers of guns bought by HCP holders per year.

 

- OS

[dawgdoc]

Yea, I liked that when I was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield,  it made having a permit easy to justify, cost wise.

 

I lived in Richmond Hill, and my father-in-law was at Hunter for a time before being transferred to Ft. Stewart.

 

As for other legislative goals, removing the signs law would be ideal, but if I were to have a reachable goal, it would be college campus carry.  It makes no sense at all why we ask people to risk their lives fighting the Taliban, and then tell them they can't be trusted to defend themselves because they cross a magic boundary.  I think many legislators automatically think of hard-partying frat boys (age 18-20) when you talk about campus carry, and ignore the thousands of "non-traditional" students who attend classes, sometimes at night in crappy parts of town, and are the ones who actually have the HCP.

[GKar]

Unless there is a significant upheaval in the ruling junta's leadership roster (very unlikely), we're basically pissing up a rope hoping for any substantive change in the status quo.  Last year's sesson made that abundantly clear, and the key player's haven't changed. 

[300winmag]

I do think that the new car carry law is a big deal for people who do not want to buy a handgun carry permit.  Somehow that passed without much media attention.

 

I think taking the approach of slightly modifying current law without a lot of media attention, such as adding a sentence to the safe commute law to remove criminal prosecution for permit folks anywhere, would work just as well as say a stand alone park carry bill.

Edited November 4, 2014 by 300winmag

[Worriedman]

Noooo 300, Chamber does not want that, so it will not occur.

Haslam has his lobbyist ready to disperse at a moment's notice.  Would pass overwhelmingly in the Senate, and strangle to death in Finance in the House, every time!  As long as Harwell and Ramsey are covering the Presidential candidate's six, nothing like that will proceed to the floor.

[dawgdoc]

It may be wishful thinking, but sometimes people in power can have dramatic changes in opinion.  In Georgia, the Speaker of the House was opposed to church carry initially, but after hearing persuasive arguments, he supported it the next year.  Now we sort of have church carry (Senate added opt in language at the last minute).

 

Are there any influential gun rights supporters that get to have actual, earnest conversations with the Powers that Be in Tennessee?

[runco]

Fix the parking lot bill.  I want to carry in my car at work without fear of termination.  Fix the parks bill, I don't wont have to read each park sign.

[Oh Shoot]

Fix the parking lot bill.  I want to carry in my car at work without fear of termination.  ..

 

What about all the other possible fears of termination, like for no reason whatsoever ... want them to fix that, too?

 

- OS

[runco]

What about all the other possible fears of termination, like for no reason whatsoever ... want them to fix that, too?

 

- OS

They can fire me for anything else, but not carrying in my car!!!!!!!!!!!

[GKar]

Runco, I agree with you totally:  but Big Business and the Chamber want none of it.  THAT is the reason it wont happen - "property rights" are a convenient distraction from the actual dynamics.  Even just witnessed a [former] state legislator most eloquently make the exact argument many have made that what is inside your car is YOUR private property unless/until it appears outside of that car...yet, he was complacent in the killing of the very legislation that sought to codify that approach.

[Guest carter]

I would like to have a law passed that would make CCW permit holders exempt from background checks (NICS) since the permit already verifies that we are able to own a firearm.  Since the NICS is only supposed to be a verification of legality to own and no other purpose, then a CCW permit makes it obsolete.

 

Thoughts?

exactly how Georgia is...I bought a gun from there and the guy was dumb founded it wasn't like that here...but that's a money generator, so doubt that'll change 

[JayC]

Best of luck, I'm pretty sure if Beth Harwell could have gotten a restraining order for her town hall meetings during the restaurant and park carry debate on me, she would have...

 

The simple solution is to primary her...  she is a weak RINO, while we might loose the seat to the democrats in the general, but we'll be rid of her.

 

It may be wishful thinking, but sometimes people in power can have dramatic changes in opinion.  In Georgia, the Speaker of the House was opposed to church carry initially, but after hearing persuasive arguments, he supported it the next year.  Now we sort of have church carry (Senate added opt in language at the last minute).

 

Are there any influential gun rights supporters that get to have actual, earnest conversations with the Powers that Be in Tennessee?

 

[M1_Garand]

I'd personally like to see the criminal penalties for carrying past gun busters go away.

[BigK]

I like all 3 of these ideas a lot:

 

I would like to have a law passed that would make CCW permit holders exempt from background checks (NICS) since the permit already verifies that we are able to own a firearm. 

 

This would be a "nice to have" law, but it's not something I'd trade any other political capital to get. The hassle and the $10 sucks, but they've never kept me from buying a gun.

 

Remove the ability to local governments to ban carry at parks. It's just too confusing for travelers and serves no purpose. 

 

I try to stay informed on these laws, but I too am confused from time to time. Someone recently asked me was a certain park legal to carry and I just didn't know.

 

Personally, I'd like to see universities that receive state funding be forced to allow HCP holders to carry on campus.

 

BEST FOR LAST...this would be the number one thing I'd want passed this year. I'd forego any other legislation for a year or more to get this ONE thing passed.

[homeagain]

They can fire me for anything else, but not carrying in my car!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If your employer is truly at will, they could fire you for 'anything else' (bad cause, good cause, or no cause at all....as long as it isn't for unlawful cause - Title VII protected class, for example).  They could fire you 'because you wore a purple shirt that day' - totally arbitrarily and capriciously - but have the hidden pretext that it was because you were known to (or even suspected to) have a gun in your car.  In wrongful termination claims, proving such pretext is darned near impossible.  As long as they show that they complied with the at-will statutes, or showed a valid business reason, you would have the burden of proof shift to you to prove pretext.  So....having a protection in T.C.A. that they can't fire you because of violating their parking lot restrictions really would serve no practical purpose.

[Worriedman]

The 2010 Bill had Prevailing Party language incorporated, to offset the prescription that having a legally owned firearm ensconced in one's vehicle could be used as a cudgel against an employer in case of termination.  Cured all that bellyaching.

Made no difference, the Chamber did not want it, nor Fed Ex.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Worriedman

[runco]

If your employer is truly at will, they could fire you for 'anything else' (bad cause, good cause, or no cause at all....as long as it isn't for unlawful cause - Title VII protected class, for example).  They could fire you 'because you wore a purple shirt that day' - totally arbitrarily and capriciously - but have the hidden pretext that it was because you were known to (or even suspected to) have a gun in your car.  In wrongful termination claims, proving such pretext is darned near impossible.  As long as they show that they complied with the at-will statutes, or showed a valid business reason, you would have the burden of proof shift to you to prove pretext.  So....having a protection in T.C.A. that they can't fire you because of violating their parking lot restrictions really would serve no practical purpose.

I don't care if they fire me for not flushing the toilet, I just want to ability to have my gun in my personal vehicle without fear.  Very practical too me!