The Gun Nuts are supporting Rick Womick

In case you missed it:

Tenn. Firearms Association backs Womick in speakers race

by Dave Boucher, The Tennessean, Dec. 1, 2014- The Tennessee Firearms Association is endorsing a Tea Party-aligned candidate's bid to oust Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville.

In a statement, association Executive Director John Harris said the "core legislative principals" of Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, show he is a better choice for speaker than Harwell. Harris says: (link)

 I don't use the term "gun nuts" loosely.  I support the Second Amendment.  I do not consider the NRA "gun nuts" but the Tennessee Firearms Association, I do.  They are the group that successfully defeated House Republican leader Debra Maggart in her bid for reelection although she was a strong supporter of the second amendment. The TFA believes that gun rights go way beyond the right affirmed in the Second Amendment.  They believe  you should have the right to carry a gun onto the property of one who does not want guns on his property. They believe gun rights trump property rights. They also support a law that would require the local police to arrest federal agents who enforce federal gun laws in Tennessee.

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TN Gun Group Urges Rep Charles Sargent To Quit Blocking 'Open Carry' Bill

Lack of leadership on gun rights evident says TFA Director  

Press Release from Tennessee Firearms Association, Nashville, TN - The Tennessee Firearms Association blasted the Chairman of the state House Finance committee today for not advancing a bill that would establish permit-optional 'open carry' in Tennessee. The bill was effectively placed on indefinite hold in a subcommittee of the powerful House Finance committee, chaired by Rep. Sargent, even though the bill, as amended, no longer has any fiscal impact and should not be heard by that committee at this point. 

"We expect all legislators to debate and vote on the right to keep and bear arms, a core constitutionally protected right, and to do so openly on the floor of each house" observed John Harris the Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association. "Leadership, such as Finance Chairman Charles Sargent, are sadly unwilling to vigorously protect and uphold our most fundamental constitutional rights, such as those protected by the 2nd Amendment, and in some cases fights against bills that expand the right to keep and bear arms.   The Tennessee Firearms Association was specifically told this by former caucus chair Debra Maggart who commented to TFA that House Leadership wanted to avoid votes on 2nd Amendment issues because they felt that pro gun legislation was bad for Republicans in election years."

Although the bill is not presently scheduled to come before the full Finance committee this year, the committee Chairman, Charles Sargent, has discretion to change the schedule so that his committee can hear it prior to the end of the session.   In addition, House Rule 53 expressly allows the entire House membership to vote to bring legislation such as this directly to the House floor.  That is an important rule that can and should be used when a small number of House members try to bury an important bill in the shadows.

The bill, HB 2409 by Rep. Van Huss, would allow any individual in Tennessee who can legally possess a gun to carry a handgun without a permit as long as the handgun is not concealed.  Significantly, the Senate passed the bill which is sponsored by Senator Mae Beavers on April 8 by an overwhelming 25-2 vote.

John Harris continues "It is troubling that Representative Sargent and others in House leadership have allowed this subcommittee to derail this bill.  These actions have disenfranchised the voters of Tennessee by denying them the benefit of having their elected Representatives debate and vote on this legislation on the House floor."

"The Tennessee Firearms Association calls on all House Members immediately to object to the malicious deferral by the House Finance subcommittee and to demand that the bill be brought directly to the House floor this week for an open debate and a full recorded vote."

Representative Charles Sargent faces a primary opponent in the August 2014 Republican primary in Williamson County by local entrepreneur Steve Gawrys.  Mr. Gawrys has been an open advocate for the passage of strong amendments to Tennessee's 2009 Firearms Freedom Act which the federal government has refused to honor in blatant violation of the 10th Amendment.

The Tennessee Firearms Association was founded in 1995 and formed to defend the right to keep and bear arms and to educate the citizenry on the responsible use, ownership and carrying of firearms.  The TFA is Tennessee's only no-compromise gun group.

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Tennessee Firearms Association bullies go after legislators who would not vote for an unconstitutional bill.

The gun-nut bullies at the Tennessee Firearms Association are much more concerned with expanding gun rights than supporting the Constitution.  This year, there was a proposed bill that would modify the "guns-in-trunks" bill passed last year. The bill would change the term
"privately owned vehicle" to "motor vehicle" so that if you were driving your spouses vehicle or a rental vehicle you would still be covered by the protections in the "guns in trunks" bill.

Representative Mark Pody proposed an amendment to the bill that would do more than that. His amendment did several things. It did clarify that the right to carry a gun onto the property of another did not apply to  single-family homes not used as a business. It clarified that a owner of a property could still prohibit guns on his property in certain narrow cases; if he gave a specific person written notice not to carry guns onto his property and the person acknowledged that notice in writing.  

The Pody amendment gave greater protection to gun owners who carry a gun onto their employers property than in the current bill. The amendment prohibited an employer from firing a person for carrying a gun onto his property or bringing criminal charges against a person for bringing a gun onto his property.  And, it said the employee subject to "adverse action" could sue his employer for civil damages.

I think this was a bad amendment. I think that just as restaurants may post a "no guns" sign and that applies to everyone entering the establishment, an employer should be able to decide if he wants guns on his property or not. However, what is wrong with this amendment is something greater than the merits of the amendment; it is that is unconstitutional. Tennessee's Constitution says the body of a bill can not be broader than the caption of a bill. This is one way in which I think the Tennessee Constitution is superior the Federal constitution If you have observed Congress in action, a bill on on one topic may have a provision appropriating money for something totally unrelated and the unrelated item hitches a ride on a popular bill.  That is often the way deals are made to get votes to pass bad bills. Bills get decorated like Christmas trees. You can't to that in Tennessee. So, Pody's bill was illegal and it did not pass.

The fact that Pody's bill was broader than the caption and therefore unconstitutional did not keep the TFA from pressuring Representatives to support it. I have not yet seen the fundraiser from TFA, but according to Representative Jeremy Faison, the TFA has now released a letter condemning those who voted against the Pody amendment and requesting money to use to defeat them.

See the below Facebook post from Representative Faison and the letter from Representative Pody where he says his amendment was not proper. The fact that even the sponsor of the amendment says it was not a proper amendment, does not keep the TFA from going after those who would not vote for it. The Tennessee Firearms Association has no shame.

This from Representative Jerremy Faison: 

Last week the TFA (Tennessee Firearms Association) released a letter condemning my vote and a multitude of other pro gun legislators vote on a specific amendment. John Harris requested money to be able to defeat me and many other legislators that are 100% committed to the Constitution. The sponsor of the amendment, Mark Pody has come forward and admitted that his 5 page amendment to a 1 paragraph bill was not the correct way to do it. Further more, his amendment was not constitutional. I vote first and foremost for the Constitution. If you have any questions, on my support of the 2nd amendment, please check my record or feel free to call me.

 To read the bill and the Pody amendment, follow this link.

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