2A Victory: Tennessee Ends Special Session Without Passing Red Flag Gun Confiscation Order
Jose Nino
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On August 29, 2023 the special session of the Tennessee General Assembly ended without the passage of any new red flag gun confiscation legislation. Republican Governor Bill Lee initially pushed for this session as a response to the mass shooting at a Nashville area religious school earlier in 2023. At the time, there was a genuine fear that the Republican-dominated legislature would pass red-flag gun confiscation orders as a result of the media pressure placed on elected officials in the aftermath of the shooting. Such pressure caused Republicans in Florida to capitulate to Gun Control Inc and pass SB 1026 which contained gun control legislation such as red flag gun confiscation orders, raising the age to buy a firearm to 21, and the imposition of a three-day waiting period for all gun purchases.
However, Tennessee’s case turned out differently thanks to grassroots pressure from groups such as Gun Owners of America and its army of supporters in the Volunteer State.
Jordan Stein, GOA’s Southeast Region Director, published the following statement: Â
Gun owners can rejoice as Governor Bill ‘Lousy Lee’s’ special session ended without passing red-flag gun confiscation. Lousy Lee’s strong effort to enact such radical Second Amendment infringements to the Volunteer State has utterly failed. GOA will be ready for the next session in January, not only to beat back calls for more gun control, but also to advocate for ending gun-free school zones and passing true Constitutional Carry.
Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, offered his two cents:      Â
This was a great victory for the Second Amendment, and it was even more encouraging because our grassroots activism was able to bluntly stop this emotionally charged legislation before it ever became law. These are the best victories!
Just because a state is controlled by Republicans does not guarantee that it will be free from gun control. Republicans can and will sellout Gun owners should the opportunity present itself.
However, the presence of no compromise groups such as GOA makes this scenario unlikely. The louder and more active gun rights proponents get inside their state legislatures, the more likely gun control legislation will meet an unceremonious death.
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