Thanks Tennessee General Assembly

On May 27th and June 4th respectively, the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives voted to override  Gov. Phil "I like guns .... sometimes" Bredesen's veto of the Restaurant Carry Legislation. The bill becomes law July 1st and will allow Tennessee's 270,000+ concealed carry permit holders to lawfully carry their concealed handguns into establishments that sell alcohol. A similar bill was passed last year, vetoed by Bredesen, and then the veto overridden. Unfortunately, the bill was then declared unconstitutional by an activist, anti-gun judge.

 

If you are a Tennessean and would like to see the vote breakdown in the Senate you can do so here. The vote breakdown for the House of Representatives is available here. I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my current representatives, State Representative Susan Lynn (pictured top right) and State Senator Mae Beavers (pictured lower right), for supporting the rights of gun owners on this issue.

However, I am puzzled that in Tennessee and many other states, a permit is required to exercise our God-given, natural right to defend ourselves. Are we at some point gonna need a license to exercise our right to free speech, assembly, and religion ?? I'm just asking. I think an American citizen with no criminal record who is mentally stable should be able to carry a firearm to defend themselves and their family at any time with NO special permit. I think the best response I have heard from any elected official or candidate regarding this issue came from current Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidate Joe Kirkpatrick when I heard him say, "The Second Amendment is your carry permit." He is absolutely right.