Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I read the Commercial Appeal (newspaper) every morning, and they've been covering the gun laws Senator Kelsey and other TN legislators have been creating over the past year. It seems like there have been a ton of gun laws that aren't necessarily needed or safe for Tennesseeans (my opinion, of course).
For example: Last year, TN made it legal to keep a firearm in your vehicle without a carry permit, if you're the registered owner of the vehicle. I believe the intention was for people to be able to have guns on work parking lots that otherwise prohibit them at the workplace, but there has been an unintended consequence. Now, law enforcement can't arrest people who are obviously up to no good for illegal possession of a firearm if they own the vehicle. In Memphis, a gang member can drive around your neighborhood all day armed, and no one can do anything about it. Illegal possession of firearms charges used to be a good way to get these guys off the streets for the night because they rarely ever apply for permits.
This year, I've seen laws suggesting ending the carry permit process altogether, which would allow gang members and anyone else to carry guns around in public without any educational classes. There was another bill to allow guns sales to carry permit holders without a background check, even though the permit may have been obtained years ago. Personally, I like to see background checks on every firearm purchase.
To quote a recent Commercial Appeal article: "This week there were 26 firearms-related bills on the schedule in the state Senate, and 20 in the House." David Waters: Gun-crazy legislators
I hope we can keep it civil, but I'm interested to know if you think we need more gun laws that make possessing/owning guns easier?
Disclaimer: I'm not an anti-gun Liberal that complains about guns. I am a Republican carry permit holder that carries a gun every day, but I think the gun laws are getting a little out of hand.
- What keithps said. I'm in favor of "common sense" gun laws, but the reality is that criminals simply ignore the law. Any law that makes it harder for a law-abiding citizen to protect himself while doing nothing to keep guns away from criminals isn't "common sense".
- The car-carry bill only protects the owner of the vehicle, not passengers. The inside of your personal vehicle (not your company vehicle, not your rented vehicle, not your borrowed vehicle) is considered to be your private property, same as your living room. If the gang member has a felony or is otherwise prohibited from owning/possessing a firearm, this statues does not apply. If the "gang member" is being pulled over for the "crime" of "driving while black", this statue keeps a cop from hauling an innocent person to jail for trying to protect himself.
- Eliminating the carry permit requirement for personal carry is ridiculous. Waaaaay too many people obtain their knowledge of self-defense law by listening to their cousin's friend who spoke to a cop once. The carry permit process, along with minimum class time and firearm competency demonstrations, should stay as they are.
- The bill eliminating the random "park carry" prohibitions should have passed. You have a HCP... have you memorized the list of cities/counties who have prohibited park carry? I have no desire to carry to my son's soccer games, but do you realize how many little parks are scattered around large cities like Memphis and Chattanooga? There's a vacant lot owned by the city a block from my work where food trucks gather during the summer. Then the city decided to make it "official" by declaring the lot a "park", and instantly it became illegal to carry there. You can be walking down the street perfectly legal, then take a single step to the right to investigate a delicious smell at lunch time and suddenly you're breaking the law. In a different place, there's a boulevard with a memorial in the center. Walking down the outer sidewalks is legal; walking down the inner sidewalk is inside a park and therefore illegal. If I wanted to walk across to the other side of the TN river I have to walk down the narrow sidewalks on the Market St. Bridge because the Walnut St. Bridge is officially a park. I can't take a water taxi because accessing it requires walking though a park to get to the dock.
- Same for eliminating the school "use" trap in the law. Even if you're in a place where carry is perfectly legal, if a school field trip shows up you are instantly breaking the law.
Last edited by An Einnseanair; 03-15-2015 at 06:37 PM..
I read the Commercial Appeal (newspaper) every morning, and they've been covering the gun laws Senator Kelsey and other TN legislators have been creating over the past year. It seems like there have been a ton of gun laws that aren't necessarily needed or safe for Tennesseeans (my opinion, of course).
For example: Last year, TN made it legal to keep a firearm in your vehicle without a carry permit, if you're the registered owner of the vehicle. I believe the intention was for people to be able to have guns on work parking lots that otherwise prohibit them at the workplace, but there has been an unintended consequence. Now, law enforcement can't arrest people who are obviously up to no good for illegal possession of a firearm if they own the vehicle. In Memphis, a gang member can drive around your neighborhood all day armed, and no one can do anything about it. Illegal possession of firearms charges used to be a good way to get these guys off the streets for the night because they rarely ever apply for permits.
This year, I've seen laws suggesting ending the carry permit process altogether, which would allow gang members and anyone else to carry guns around in public without any educational classes. There was another bill to allow guns sales to carry permit holders without a background check, even though the permit may have been obtained years ago. Personally, I like to see background checks on every firearm purchase.
To quote a recent Commercial Appeal article: "This week there were 26 firearms-related bills on the schedule in the state Senate, and 20 in the House." David Waters: Gun-crazy legislators
I hope we can keep it civil, but I'm interested to know if you think we need more gun laws that make possessing/owning guns easier?
Disclaimer: I'm not an anti-gun Liberal that complains about guns. I am a Republican carry permit holder that carries a gun every day, but I think the gun laws are getting a little out of hand.
The bold part of your post I strongly disagree with and makes zero sense.
It shouldn't be against the law to have property that legally belongs to you.
Quote:
Now, law enforcement can't arrest people who are obviously up to no good for illegal possession of a firearm if they own the vehicle. In Memphis, a gang member can drive around your neighborhood all day armed, and no one can do anything about it. Illegal possession of firearms charges used to be a good way to get these guys off the streets for the night because they rarely ever apply for permits.
I see nowhere the law states convicted felons or denied people can now carry guns in their cars.
"Criminals" can't now legally carry their guns in their cars because they can't legally carry them.
What it does do is not make you a criminal because you carry your own gun. Having your gun shouldn't make you a criminal. They most certainly can arrest you for having a gun in your car if you are a convicted criminal. It just doesn't make you one.
If a gang member is driving around with a gun, he has more than than likely a convicted person and can't have the gun anyway. If he is committing a crime, having a gun will be a added charge.
If he hasn't been convicted of a crime then he like anyone else could still have a concealed carry permit and buy guns just like everyone else.
To state somehow that now law-abiding citizens can have their guns in their car somehow means criminals can too now is complete BS.
So nobody can carry their guns in their car because criminals could too? No, they still can't have them. If they are found they will be arrested. You don't state nobody can carry because criminals could.
Quote:
This year, I've seen laws suggesting ending the carry permit process altogether, which would allow gang members and anyone else to carry guns around in public without any educational classes. There was another bill to allow guns sales to carry permit holders without a background check, even though the permit may have been obtained years ago. Personally, I like to see background checks on every firearm purchase.
Again, gang members and convicted criminals still can't because the rest of citizens can. They will still be arrested.
As for the background check, I feel the states should go back to regulating it. Before the Brady bill every state had their requirements depending the crime committed. The citizens of each state elected their state governments and so voted for the rules that worked for them.
I believe if you are guilty and convicted of a crime that should deny you the ability to carry a gun, should put you in prison for a long time, death sentence or the appropriate time of incarceration.
Blanketed lifetime disarmament is wrong for nonviolent crimes.
Example would be a story I read about a felony charges for releasing balloons in Florida. There are to many felony violations that you can be convicted for that directly harm none. Times have changed. You can be convicted of a felony for many things besides robbing, stealing and murder. The states should have the right to set definitions for disqualifying firearm purchases in their states.
Also, Alaska, Idaho, Tennessee and other states had time limits on banning that worked for them. That should be the states rights not the federal government.
I'm guessing neither of the last two posters lives in the Memphis area. The rest of TN is a lot different than Memphis. In Memphis, crime is rampant, and you know who doesn't have a gun for protection.
I'm guessing neither of the last two posters lives in the Memphis area. The rest of TN is a lot different than Memphis. In Memphis, crime is rampant, and you know who doesn't have a gun for protection.
The people sponsoring or supporting these bills generally don't have urban areas in mind when they draft them.
I'm guessing neither of the last two posters lives in the Memphis area. The rest of TN is a lot different than Memphis. In Memphis, crime is rampant, and you know who doesn't have a gun for protection.
In all fairness though, this law applies to everyone so they have to consider everyone's rights. The way around this is to include an opt out clause, but those tend to get messy.
I'm guessing neither of the last two posters lives in the Memphis area. The rest of TN is a lot different than Memphis. In Memphis, crime is rampant, and you know who doesn't have a gun for protection.
In all fairness though, this law applies to everyone so they have to consider everyone's rights. The way around this is to include an opt out clause, but those tend to get messy.
Vermont has no handgun license system, they're doing just fine. Sure, for the most part it's just a bunch of cheese and syrup eating hippies that go to jam band concerts every weekend, but the point is, there is not much of a correlation between gun laws and crime. VIOLENCE, not guns, always has and always will be the common denominator.
Look at Chicago, the murder and gun violence capitol of the US (a proud title I'm sure) yet they have some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Now what IS correlated with violence is lower socioeconomic status (The Socio-economics of Crime and Justice - Google Books ) , of which Chicago, Memphis and all your other high crime cities have no shortage of.
Education has strong positive/direct correlations with socioeconomic status. Therefore, I would assume memphis, chicago, detroit or any other crime sinkhole would benefit more by investing the time, energy and resources into education rather than gun control as this would get to the ROOT of the problem. Although that's not the sexy highly politicized solution, it is the correct one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
