AND THE LIST GROWS ON...... of course, we won't know until it is over what will really come from this Extraordinary Session. In the meantime, you will WANT to let YOUR voice be heard as the lawmakers make their way to Nashville next Monday.
You don't have to be confined to contacting only YOUR legislators, others should hear from you too.
While there is much talk now about 'no 'Red Flag' laws being offered, the key will be how the language in some of the proposed bills could be presented and interpreted.
My three 'LAWS' for interpreting the language in a piece of legislation:
1. Who gets to define the terms?
2. What could be the unintended consequences of the language?
3. How could my worst enemy use this against me?
Tennessee senators will propose increased penalties for mass threats, gun crimes
(The Center Square) – Threatening mass violence could soon become a felony in Tennessee if a plan from Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, passes during the upcoming special session on public safety set to begin at 4 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Haile’s proposal states the person who threatens mass violence would receive a felony charge and then follow due process, seemingly a reference to a red flag proposal from Gov. Bill Lee where law enforcement could create a temporary mental health order of protection against a person that would require them to give up firearms before a complete court process.
So much of the conversation about this special session has centered around guns, but inanimate objects are not the problem,” Haile said. “Violent criminals are the problem. This legislation does not go after inanimate objects. Instead, it goes after criminals who intend to do significant harm to a group of other people, regardless of if the violence could be committed with a firearm, vehicle, bomb, or other weapon.”
Another proposal, from Sen. Page Walley, R-Savannah, would improve communication between local law enforcement and mental health institutions by requiring those institutions to inform law enforcement when a patient is involuntarily committed or released from a psychiatric institution.
“Currently the way the law is written, mental health institutions only alert law enforcement about involuntary commitments in the jurisdiction of the institution,” said Walley, a licensed clinical psychologist. “However, if the patient lives in a different county than the location of the mental health facility, then law enforcement in the patient’s county is uninformed.”
Walley is proposing a separate bill that would require a minimum five-year sentence for using a firearm in a crime. The bill would mirror a federal law and mean that offenders face the same minimum in both state and federal courts and cannot plea to a lower sentence.
Sparks fly in Tuesday’s edition of Aaron’s Analysis on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, as official guest host Aaron Gulbransen directly confronts swirling around the politics of Gov. Lee’s proposed “red flag” gun control law.
In a rare moment, Gulbransen shares shocking details about his past and how that informs his insights into what he thinks which measures will and won’t pass during the upcoming special session.
TRANSCRIPT
Aaron Gulbransen: So, I wanna set this up: I absolutely despise talking about myself other than telling funny stories, but I feel I must point out a few things so the audience can understand where I’m coming from in general, and how I view things politically in special session.
The audience knows me, of course, as the official guest host of this program and the executive director of The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition.
I am, long ago, a Blue State refugee.
I got my start in politics as a volunteer for the Long Island Coalition for Life, the oldest pro-life organization in the country, folding and distributing their newsletter.
My first paid campaign was in the year 2000 against Hillary Clinton. Years later, I moved to Virginia and 2016 was full circle for me as I campaigned for President Trump with former Virginia Governor and Ambassador Jim Gilmore.
I’ve told Chuck Schumer to his face where to go in a not-appropriate-for-radio message – live and in-person.
Hillary Clinton staffers have shoved me.
Barack Obama blasted the organization I worked for in 2010 because of the work that I directly did.
I fought the establishment constantly in Virginia and my favorite year was beating them nine times in a row in elections.
I received anonymous death threats nailed to my door in places I live because of my stand for conservatism.
I even had a shotgun one time held in my head while I was working, and I was told I was gonna die.
I worked behind the scenes for President Trump’s first impeachment defense team. I worked nearly 24/7 on election integrity issues that came up as a result of the 2020 presidential election for several months.
In 2020, I was assaulted by a Justin Jones supporter, while “comrade” Jones himself personally screamed in my face because I had the misfortune to be walking past one of his events because I lived two blocks away, and I committed the ultimate sin of having a MAGA hat on my head.
Not a single member of my board is actually COVID vaccinated, just so y’all know.
I personally fought the mask and vaccine mandates to the point where I lost employment in 2021. I then went to work for The Tennessee Starand moved on to my current position.
Those are just the Cliff Notes of my lifetime of fighting for conservatism and the constitution. I spend every day of the week working to eradicate child in human trafficking and defend the constitution.
That leads to the special session, and I’m gonna be clear for the thousandth time: there will be no “red flag” law. The conservatives have already won the victory on that specific issue.
The General assembly has been clear since the very beginning, and they’re sticking to their guns. There is no secret backroom deal made by the General Assembly with Governor Lee and The Faith of Freedom Coalition to use a very important anti-trafficking measure as a backdoor to enact Marxist gun control as some insane people have suggested
How Handgun Laws in Tennessee Compare to Other States
By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square
Aug 7, 2023
The debate over gun control in the United States has centered largely on assault-style rifles, like the AR-15. Surging in popularity in recent years, AR-15 style firearms are now the best selling rifle in the U.S. -- and they have also been used in 10 of the country's 17 deadliest mass shootings since 2012. But while AR-15s have dominated the political debate, both in Washington and statehouses across the country, every year in the U.S., handguns take a far greater toll on public health.
According to the FBI, 13,620 homicides were carried out with a firearm in 2020, and at least 59% of them were determined to have been carried out with a handgun. Meanwhile, only 3% of homicides were committed with a rifle. Additionally, a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that risk of suicide-by-firearm is eight times higher for male handgun owners than non-owners, and 35 times higher for female handgun owners. (Here is a look at the states where gun-related crimes are surging.)
In light of the specific risks posed by handguns, several states have implemented policies to better ensure safe and responsible ownership. These include background check expansions, mandatory safety courses, waiting periods for prospective buyers, and licensing and permitting procedures. Most states, however, have done none of the above -- and in these places, virtually any adult without a record of criminal violence can legally obtain a handgun in a matter of minutes.
Tennessee is one of these states. Not only are there no universal background check laws for prospective handgun buyers, but there are also no mandatory waiting periods, licensing, or safety training requirements.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 1,569 firearm-related fatalities in Tennessee in 2021, or 22.8 for every 100,000 people, the 10th highest gun death rate among the 50 states.
All data on handgun purchase and ownership requirements in this story was compiled by the Giffords Law Center, a gun control advocacy group.
Help secure the sanctity of the ballot box!
The next Davidson County Republican Party Poll Watcher Class will take place this Saturday, August 19, from 3:30pm - 5:00pm at The GlockStore (1930 Air Lane Drive, Nashville). Training and materials are free. E-mail DCRP First Vice Chair Laura Nelson to RSVP. lnelson@gopnashville.org
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