| TN House Panel Votes to Allow Guns in Govt Buildings |
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| Written by Mike Kinsey | |
| Monday, 23 April 2007 | |
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A Tennessee House Panel recently voted to send legislation to the floor of the Legislature that would allow licensed citizens to carry a concealed handgun on property owned by state, county, and city governments. This will include government owned buildings. Similar to Ohio, Tennessee law arbitrarily bans self-defense in those areas. The proposed legislation was penned by Republican Representative Frank Nicely. Its original intent was to allow legal concealed carry on State Park property. In a refreshing move, Representative Rob Briley (D-Nashville) was quoted as saying, "We've been piecemealing this thing year after year. Why don't we just let you take your gun anywhere you want to?" Rep. Briley then proposed an amendment broadening the initial draft to include all state, county, and city property... including buildings. With hardly a whimper, the amended bill passed the panel with only one vote in objection. Representative Nicely told The Knoxville News Sentinel: "I think the recent Virginia disaster - or catastrophe or nightmare or whatever you want to call it - has woken up a lot of people to the need for having guns available to law-abiding citizens," said Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains. "I hope that is what this vote reflects." The bill will be brought before the entire House Judiciary Committee next week. Hopefully, elected officials throughout Ohio and the rest of the country will take notice that it should not be illegal for a responsible adult to exercise their innate right to protect themselves and their family, even if they happen to be in a government building. Over 90,000 Ohioans are licensed to carry a concealed handgun, yet they can not legally enter the very buildings that their taxes buy. |