Reply from Covernor bredesen.

[C. Richard Archie]

I, and 26 other Jackson area received this response for Governor Bredesen today.

June 3, 2009










Dear Richard:



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





PB:jb

[redbarron06]

Looks just like the one I just got and now I am seeing it in other places on the forum.

[benburke]

I just now got it as well and here is my reply to Governor Bredesen...

Dear Governor Bredesen,

Please allow me to explain the error in your quotation below. Common sense rules may apply to a privilege granted by the government, i.e. a drivers' license privilege; however, the government does not have the authority to restrict a right which was given to us by our Creator. God blessed me with the inalienable right to protect my family and myself, not the Tennessee legislature! We should revert the Tennessee Constitution back to its original language from 1796. If the 1834 constitution was wrong, is it not feasible the 1870 constitution is still wrong?

Sincerely,
Ben Burke

"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."

[jayvon]

You can add me to the list I recieved the same letter