TN Governor Against RKBA During Declared Emergencies
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Golden Saber
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http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_5449561,00.html
Tenn. Senate OK's bill limiting gun seizure during crisis
By Richard Locker
The Commercial Appeal
March 28, 2007
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday intended to prohibit the government from confiscating firearms during a natural disaster or emergency.
The bill is scheduled for subcommittee review next Wednesday in the House of Representatives, which did not approve a similar measure last year.
Gov. Phil Bredesen and the bill’s sponsor, Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, reached an agreement on the issue last week that both said accomplishes what they wanted with the bill. The governor had expressed concerns about the bill early in the session because it placed restrictions on broad authority already enumerated in state law given the governor to respond to emergencies.
The agreement struck from Norris’ original bill provisions that would have rewritten two existing provisions in state law dealing with the governor’s power to order the confiscation of any private property and to suspend or limit the "sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, and combustibles."
Instead of striking those provisions from existing law, the bill that won approval Wednesday simply adds a new provision that says "the state, a political subdivision or a public official shall not prohibit nor impose additional restrictions on the lawful possession, transfer, sale, transport, carrying, storage, display or use of firearms and ammunition or firearm or ammunition components."
The bill passed 32-0. Norris said after the vote that he had "offered (to the governor) to reduce some of the surplus language and just stick to the meat of the matter. It’s there in black and white that regardless of the emergency powers any governor may have, they shall not abrogate our right to keep and bear arms."
Bredesen gave his public support to the revised version on Monday.
"I don’t think I was ever really opposing it," the governor told reporters. "I had a concern about chipping away at the powers of the governor in an emergency, which I expressed to him (Norris). Sen. Norris and one of my staff members worked out some language that everybody was happy with and I support the bill.
"The principle here is that one of the things we all learned after Hurricane Katrina is that when you have an emergency, you want to make sure the governor has all the tools in hand to be able to deal with the emergency," he said. "That was one of the fundamental problems in Louisiana. So anytime someone wants to strain those powers I just think it’s something we should think very carefully about. I’m comfortable with the changes Sen. Norris did."
Copyright 2007, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.
Tenn. Senate OK's bill limiting gun seizure during crisis
By Richard Locker
The Commercial Appeal
March 28, 2007
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday intended to prohibit the government from confiscating firearms during a natural disaster or emergency.
The bill is scheduled for subcommittee review next Wednesday in the House of Representatives, which did not approve a similar measure last year.
Gov. Phil Bredesen and the bill’s sponsor, Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, reached an agreement on the issue last week that both said accomplishes what they wanted with the bill. The governor had expressed concerns about the bill early in the session because it placed restrictions on broad authority already enumerated in state law given the governor to respond to emergencies.
The agreement struck from Norris’ original bill provisions that would have rewritten two existing provisions in state law dealing with the governor’s power to order the confiscation of any private property and to suspend or limit the "sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, and combustibles."
Instead of striking those provisions from existing law, the bill that won approval Wednesday simply adds a new provision that says "the state, a political subdivision or a public official shall not prohibit nor impose additional restrictions on the lawful possession, transfer, sale, transport, carrying, storage, display or use of firearms and ammunition or firearm or ammunition components."
The bill passed 32-0. Norris said after the vote that he had "offered (to the governor) to reduce some of the surplus language and just stick to the meat of the matter. It’s there in black and white that regardless of the emergency powers any governor may have, they shall not abrogate our right to keep and bear arms."
Bredesen gave his public support to the revised version on Monday.
"I don’t think I was ever really opposing it," the governor told reporters. "I had a concern about chipping away at the powers of the governor in an emergency, which I expressed to him (Norris). Sen. Norris and one of my staff members worked out some language that everybody was happy with and I support the bill.
"The principle here is that one of the things we all learned after Hurricane Katrina is that when you have an emergency, you want to make sure the governor has all the tools in hand to be able to deal with the emergency," he said. "That was one of the fundamental problems in Louisiana. So anytime someone wants to strain those powers I just think it’s something we should think very carefully about. I’m comfortable with the changes Sen. Norris did."
Copyright 2007, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.
bredesen said:
That ain't what I learned. More like..."that's what governments are for - to get in a man's way"...
And the folks who talked about mountain country aren't exaggerating. I'm in Carter County, and I'm having trouble believing folks here would just give up their guns. If someone tried...well......it would be a bad bad day.
Fortunately Bredesen caved. I'll be slightly less likely to [again] vote against him.
Jamie C.
Member
redbearde said:
Now hang on here a second... Once we get him properly trained, shouldn't we keep him? I mean, he does seem to be learning...
J.C.
Jamie C.
Member
You're probably right, Redbearde.
Still, I just have the thought that whoever comes along next could be so much worse...
( You wouldn't want that crook Sunquist back, would you? )
J.R.
Still, I just have the thought that whoever comes along next could be so much worse...
( You wouldn't want that crook Sunquist back, would you? )
J.R.
ProguninTN
Member
Bredesen
That's really just code for "I'm showing my true colors. I want absolute power and want to be able to take guns". 
That's really just code for "I'm showing my true colors. I want absolute power and want to be able to take guns".
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