Tennessee Governor, Bill Lee proposed constitutional carry gun legislation that would permit law-abiding residents that are at least 21 years old to carry a handgun without a permit, except in certain restricted areas.
Constitutional carry applies to both open carry and concealed carry. Current state law requires a permit for both.
Lee said, “The Second Amendment is clear and concise and secured the freedoms of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.” Lee continued, “I am pleased to announce constitutional carry legislation today that will protect the Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans, while also stiffening penalties on criminals who steal or illegally posses firearms.”
Lee proposed stricter penalties for people who violate gun laws, such as increasing the penalty for stealing a firearm to a felony and increasing the mandatory minimum sentence for firearm theft from 30 days to 189 days, amoung other things.
The National Director of the Knights Party, based in Harrison Arkansas, Thomas Robb, said, “This legislation needs to be passed in all 50 states, Governor Lee said it right, it definitely is the constitutional right of every law-abiding American citizen to keep and bear arms. And there needs to be stiffer penalties for the criminals who abuse this right.”
Robb added, “To punish all for the few that abuse this right is unconstitutional. It would be like trying to take away everyone’s right to drive over the few that drive intoxicated. Just as it’s not the vehicle that kills, it’s the intoxicated driver, it’s not the firearm that kills, it’s the criminal with criminal intent that kills.’