Park Bill Question

[cowboyvet]

Tonight, Oak Ridge voted under the opt out provision to prevent the carry of guns by carry permit holders in the parks and greenways around the city, My question is this. This is aimed specificaly at carry permit holders. It is not targeting illegal guns. Is this leagal on this aspect to target a specific group of people with full discrimination? The facts also are not in favor of this to prove it makes things safer to be constitutional. How does one chalenge this law / resolution for legality without being rich? I'm just a disabled Vet. I've wrote the letters and spoke at the meeting. This did not work. What can we do next?

[johnharris]

The challenge could take several formats

1) Collect the data on which close and which do not. Go back to legislature and ask that local option be repealed and make all local parks open. This is going to require that TFA members from across the state take the time to go to the local governments and get copies of these resolutions as well as any documents (Freedom of Information Act Request) that was submitted to or considered by the government. I have obtained one such file (about an inch thick) from one county so far and it has nothing in it about crime rates of permit holders in parks.

2) Chancery court legal challenge. Issue here would be application of TN Constitutional clause to the statute and how it is being applied. Takes money. That is one reason TFA started the Constitutional Action Fund (Contributions can be made to TFA CAF c/o Rob Anderson, Treasurer, PO Box 198722, Nashville, TN 37219).

[cowboyvet]

At the meeting, there was no factual evidence submitted to show a vote like this. Some council members said they recieved e-mails stating certain groups would refuse to use our rowing course if they didn't do this. It was said then that guns are not allowed at school events no matter where they take place including rowing events so this opt out would not affect that either way. Countless statistics and court cases were submited on behalf of the carry permit holders. It was obivious this was made on emotion instead of facts when at one point the Mayor chewed out an individual because his dad was a cop when he was a kid and was in an area where there was a shooting with an "illegal gun". The mayor looked bad showing his brief temper. What falls under freedom of information act and what should I be asking for? Meeting minutes, e-mails, resolution as wrote and passed. What falls under FOI?

[JayC]