Bluff City (Sullivan County) parks open

[rheppert]

By MAC MCLEAN
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: August 19, 2009

BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – A new state law that allows conceal-carry permit holders to take their handguns inside parks has divided local officials and some residents who spent Tuesday morning fishing from the Bluff City Boardwalk.
Last week, the Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen narrowly voted against banning guns in city-operated parks like the city’s boardwalk and baseball field. The decision comes at a time when local governments across Tennessee are passing similar bans in response to a new Tennessee law that lets conceal-carry permit holders take their guns to state and city parks.
“If they’ve got a conceal-carry permit then I don’t have a problem with it,” said Steve Garland, an Elizabethton, Tenn., resident who was fishing from the boardwalk Tuesday. “Your troublemakers are going to have [guns] no matter what; this just makes it even.”
Slated to go into effect Sept. 1, Tennessee’s new law applies to any “public park, natural area, historic park, nature trail, campground, forest, green way, waterway or similar public place” that is operated by the state or local government. Cities and counties can get around this if they adopt a handgun ban by Sept. 1 and post signs announcing the policy at each of their parks.
The Bristol Tennessee City Council passed a handgun ban by a 3-2 vote July 7. Local officials in Johnson City and Jonesborough also approved resolutions banning handguns from their public parks last month.
The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen was about to pass a similar ban last month but decided not to, city spokesman Tim Whaley said, “after they heard from the public pretty strongly that they’d prefer to see a ban not be enacted.”
Bluff City’s board members were about to pass a similar handgun ban on Thursday, but ended up rejecting the proposal by a 2-3 vote. Aldermen Melvin Carrier and Alderwoman Irene Wells supported the ban, while Aldermen J.C. Gentry, Robert Miller and Mark Weaver voted against it.
When asked his reasons for going against the ban, Miller joined Garland in drawing a line between troublemakers and conceal-carry permit holders, who are legally required to pass a background check and a firearms training course before they can carry a handgun. Many carry weapons to protect themselves, he said, adding that his decision to reject the ban was “about not taking away the option and the ability for someone to defend themselves.”
Even so, Miller said he was not suggesting the city’s parks are dangerous places. Vandalism and other minor offenses are the only crimes that take place at the city’s parks, added Bluff City Police Chief David Nelson, who also supports an individuals’ right to carry handguns to defend themselves.
But Nelson said he supported the proposed handgun ban because children often play at city parks and would be put at risk.
Fisherman David Foy echoed Nelson’s concerns when asked his opinion of the board’s decision.
“If you don’t ban [handguns] then you’re just asking for trouble,” said Foy, a Bristol, Tenn., resident who stops by the park to go fishing about twice a month. “I’m all for the Second Amendment and the right to carry firearms, but you know, it’s just common sense.”