We reported back in late July how Memphis city officials were making an end-run around Tennessee’s firearms preemption law by trying to put a three-part gun control question on the November ballot. Despite the secretary of state’s warning that the questions violated state law, a judge ruled in September that the questions could appear on the ballot.
Fast-forward to election day, and according to a report at tennesseelookout.com, Memphis voters approved the ballot measure, which prohibits carrying a handgun without a permit, bans so-called “assault weapons” and institutes a city “red-flag” law.
In fact, the new ordinance violates more than one state law. Tennessee’s firearms preemption law states: “The general assembly preempts the whole field of the regulation of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition, or combinations thereof including, but not limited to, the use, purchase, transfer, taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, carrying, sale, acquisition, gift, devise, licensing, registration, storage, and transportation thereof, to the exclusion of all county, city, town, municipality, or metropolitan government law, ordinances, resolutions, enactments or regulation.”
The law further states: “No county, city, town, municipality, or metropolitan government nor any local agency, department, or official shall occupy any part of the field regulation of firearms, ammunition or components of firearms or ammunition, or combinations thereof.”
Additionally, the state passed constitutional, or “permitless,” carry legislation back in 2021 that recognizes the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners to carry a firearm without having to wade through government red tape and pay a fee to do so. The law took effect July 31, 2021, and the ballot initiative also flouts that provision.
In signing the measure that made Tennessee the 20th constitutional carry state, Gov. Bill Lee said state residents—including those in Memphis, one would assume—would be free of permitting requirements to exercise their rights
“Constitutional carry ensures a barrier-free commitment to Second Amendment rights and is core to a strong public safety agenda,” Gov. Lee said at the bill’s signing. “Tennessee finally joins 19 other states in siding with law-abiding, responsible gun owners, and I commend both the NRA and members of the General Assembly for making it happen.”
Because the question appeared on the ballot and was approved, city leaders face a possible cut in funding from lawmakers who had said they’d retaliate financially if the questions appeared on the ballot. Republican leaders in the Tennessee Legislature said in late August that they would withhold funding from Memphis if leaders decided to continue with the effort. The city received $78 million from that source in the most recent budget year.
“The Legislature will not tolerate any attempts to go rogue and perform political sideshows,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said at the time. “With the recent actions of the progressive, soft-on-crime DA in Shelby County and the Memphis City Council’s continued efforts to override state law with local measures, we feel it has become necessary to take action and protect all Tennesseans’ rights and liberties. We hope they will change course immediately.”
For now, Memphis residents won’t have to worry about the newly approved law. City officials say the ordinance will only take effect if the state preemption law is changed, which is not likely at this point.
This should be fun to watch.
What % of the Approval voters were obviously Gun Control History illiterate? That would be 99%. The remaining 1% are Gun Control zealots who have never and would never expose the underbelly of Gun Control to voters. Therefore providing voters with something tangible to weigh against Gun Control is left up to Gun Owners. Sadly a huge % of Gun Owners are zipped lipped fun loving stick in the mud crickets. Crickets whose heads are so far up their behinds they do not hold themselves responsible for a ballot box train wreck.
They’re virtue signalling about removing defense tools in one of the most violent areas of the country. Why aren’t they focused on lowering crime? Even California stepped back from the edge a bit in this last election.
The 2020 and 2022 elections had to happen the way they did so people could see just how terrible modern Democrat policies are. There was a 13 point swing from 2020 to 2024 voting for Trump among Gen Z.
Democrats always talk about your “right” to be free from gun violence.
Apparently there’s no “right” to be free from junkie, mental patient or South American gang violence.
The only cure for the true believers is cyanide in the Flavor-Aid.
Memphis and Nashville are the cancer infested armpits of a beautiful state – hard to see what’s going on all buttened-up, and extremely hard to treat once it takes hold over the rest of the body.
Dude, I’m as surprised as anyone that Gen Z as a demographic came out of their coma. I was talking with a recently college-graduated nephew why he thinks that happened and he said “We’ve all seen how expensive free shit turns out to be, and can’t possibly afford a $600,
000 house with a $60,000 car in the garage, even with a $25,000 down payment subsidy and a tax rebate on the E-car in the garage” … then said a word I never thought a college grad would utter
– UNSUSTAINABLE.
The fix is to attach gun rights, which are actually Civil Rights, to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and give violations of our gun rights the same protections and restorative civil penalties that all the rest of the Civil Rights.
Then we could sue the pants off of any and every anti-gunner until they literally are in the poor house.
This is the way.
BS, Perhaps you have heard of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. If there is no will to uphold the Constitution then certainly no piece of legislation means anything.
I think it must be the fluoride in the water.
Wrong sauce on their BBQ.
This is EXACTLY why we are a Representative Republic, not a democracy!
In a democracy your neighbors would gladly vote away your rights, in a heartbeat.
Have you guys noticed the electoral maps, ie 90% of the country bathed in red? Only sprinkles of blue in the big cities, and policy is so often driven from these tiny geographic pockets…i dont think the model is sustainable if you know what i mean. Gonna have to fence them in and let them have their own little countries or something. Then just let em have their way with all the utopian policies they want.
Wouldn’t it be nice to split California into two states?
Same effect as making the floating garbage dump or Washington DC cesspool a state – increase the # of prog Senators by two.
It’s a pipe dream to stop coastal tyranny of the state. No one’s getting an extra state.
The 2020 census miscounted FL and TX. After the 30 census, FL and TX will get extra electoral votes. If immigration/deportation plans hold, and the exodus from blue states to the Southeast continues, the next electoral map will be even more favorable.
No counting of noncitizens for census will be high on the agenda. Census bureau is long on DEI/progs.
God I hate City-folk. “Oh dear God yes, OPPRESS ME HARDER Daddy Government! It’s so hot when you violate all the laws, especially the ones you made.”
I know plenty of left wing woke country folk. Unfortunately.
This is what happens when you refuse to hold black criminals accountable. Instead you blame the gun.
They, the black city council members, act like white libertarians liberals and leftists. Who all don’t believe in liberty. Because these white people refuse to hold any black criminal accountable.
In the minds of this group of white people. There are too many black criminals locked up in the USA.
Because those white people all disagreed with the Christians. When the christians said a father is necessary in the home. The three L’s don’t believe a father’s love and discipline are necessary in the home.
These white atheists don’t want a church based morality to controlling children. They would prefer an atheistic government approach to discipline.
Yes. That’s right I said all that.
btw
Who is the primary instructor of firearms, and has taught more gun owners, in the United States of America???
Military,
No. Less than 1% of the US population has served in the military. Since the early 2000s.
The correct answer is. A father.
Or a brother. Or an uncle. Or a grandfather.
We’re not saying you can’t have guns, we’re just saying you can’t have guns in town.
.
I guess you didn’t see the sign Bob.
To paraphrase the late, great Mac Davis, happiness is Memphis, Tennessee in my rearview mirror. I can also say that about Jackson, Mississippi, Aurora, Colorado, Fallls Village, Connecticut, several counties in California, and more. God kept pushing me away from soon-to-be bad places. Thank you, God.
Memphis is finished. Just like Oakland california. And San Francisco is finished as well. But because SF has more money. And more millionaires who live in SF.
The down fall of San Francisco will just take a little longer.
Can’t we just conquer them?
I like that idea.
I went to a small convention in Memphis last spring. I took an uber from the airport to the front door of the hotel. I didn’t realize until the next morning that the parking area of the hotel was gated, fenced and surrounded by barbed wire. The person at the front desk advised me not to leave the hotel on foot, alone or in groups. At ANY time.
Tennessee isn’t Constitutional carry the Tennessee Firearms Association went into great detail about this. its “permitless carry” the law only applies to state residents so if you’re from out of state you need a permit that has reciprocity to TN to carry here. You can only carry without a permit if you’re a resident and if you meet a list of requirements (ex not having a DUI conviction) and the way Governor Lee wrote the law you’re better off having a permit.
Exactly. I have a New Hampshire permit for that reason.
I went to school in Memphis back when Elvis was still alive, and Memphis State was called by its original name.
Memphis has always been on the left side of Tennessee.
They’ve also advocated for a state income tax in Tennessee, which has always been shot down.
Tennessee government needs to take a page from the far left Canadian government where they used criminal law to build a climate control law. in Canada if you don’t go along with the climate control regulations. Of course I do not support what Canada has done, but it is an interesting concept to use against the left.The problem in America there’s no accountability when these officials wgo rogue. Tennessee needs to criminalize the violation of their supremacy clause and have civil penalties up to and including forfeiture of assets. that will get people’s attention and stop the idiocy.