SB 2928/HB 3857; Emergency Powers, Gun Owner Protection

[Tim Nunan]

The NRA has found some proposed Tennessee bills it likes. As an EVC I received this information.
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The following is the latest legislative fact sheet regarding SB 2928/HB 3857; Emergency Powers, Gun Owner Protection, directly from our Tenneessee State Liaison Darren La Sorte. If you have any questions, please contact Darren directly at (703) 328-3454.

National Rifle Association of America

Fact Sheet

SB 2928/HB 3857; Emergency Powers, Gun Owner Protection

PURPOSE

To ensure that the government cannot restrict the citizens' Right to
Keep and Bear Arms during a state of emergency, when they most need
the protection firearms offer.

BACKGROUND

Gun owners and other freedom-loving Americans throughout the country
were horrified by the events that followed Hurricane Katrina in New
Orleans last year. At a time when violent gangs attacked citizens with impunity, the Mayor and Chief of Police abused a statutory provision that allowed the government to "regulate" the possession and use of firearms during a state of emergency in order to prohibit possession and confiscate privately owned firearms. They were depriving law-abiding citizens of their only means of defense against otherwise unrestrained violence. If there was ever a time in recent history that better illustrated the importance of the citizens' Right to Keep and Bear Arms, it has yet to come to the NRA's attention.

Current Tennessee law allows the state to suspend or limit the sale or transportation of firearms during a state of emergency. The "sale" provision penalizes those citizens, possibly at the cost of their lives, who failed to obtain firearms prior to a crisis. The law also arguably allows for the confiscation of firearms in a manner similar to what took place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

SB 2928/HB 3857 ensures that Tennessee's gun owners, and citizens
who may wait until a time of need to obtain firearms, are well protected from any similar abuses during a state of emergency or disaster. There is no justification to prohibit law-abiding citizens from possessing firearms during these critical times. As the experience in New Orleans proved, criminals will always have their firearms. Many law enforcement officers fled with their families during the hurricane, leaving citizens to fend for
themselves. Tennesseans should not be denied their best means of
defending themselves and their families.

PROVISIONS

Eliminates the state's current ability to suspend or limit the sale or transportation of firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency or disaster.

Eliminates the government's current ability to commandeer firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency or disaster.

Prohibits the government from placing additional restrictions on the
ownership or use of firearms and ammunition during a state of emergency or disaster.

[Todd.Scallions]

SB2928 passed in the Senate. Now I guess it's up to the House sub-committee to vote it through this Wednesday. Write your Rep now!

[tjbert47]

DONE

Tom in TN

[Todd.Scallions]

The Constitutional Protections of Judiciary sub-committee pushed the vote on this bill to Wednesday, March 29th, 2006. This gives everyone on this board another chance to write the following Representatives and tell them to vote in favor of this bill:

Rep. Janis Sontany
Rep. Rob Briley
Rep. Kent Coleman
Rep. Kim McMillan
Rep. Eric Watson

You can find their email addresses at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/

[2guntom]

[2guntom]

[Todd.Scallions]

[2guntom]

[Todd.Scallions]

[GGUNSHOP]

[johnharris]

[aleekat]

[Todd.Scallions]

[2guntom]

I wondered why I didn't get a single response from those jerkoffs in the subcommittee. They'll get one more letter...

Suffice to say, we need to make sure they never get re elected for any public office.

[Todd.Scallions]