MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee responded to growing calls in the Memphis City Council to challenge existing state law on guns including permitless carry. The urgency intensified following Tuesday’s shooting and standoff on the Highland strip in which police said the accused shooter fired an automatic weapon.
The Governor reiterated many of previous talking points defending permitless carry even though he plans to call a special legislative session to address gun violence. For some Memphis City Council members, that is not goo enough. They want to take on the state’s laws by passing their own city ordinance.
According to the University of Memphis and Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, violent crime in Memphis is up eight percent in the first quarter of this year.
Tennessee allows open carry without a permit, and state legislators are considering expanding that bill to include assault weapons. Tuesday, Memphis City Council member, Dr. Jeff Warren, said those laws make urban areas less safe. He plans to put forward a city ordinance that would ban automatic weapons and open carry within city limits, which would go against state law. “We’re going to pass this law. Hopefully, what will happen is we’re going to take it to court, and because we’ve been abandoned and left to dry and left to bleed, maybe we’ll win in the court of law,” said Dr. Warren.
“We have to remember the difference between law abiding citizens and criminals. A constitutional carry law is in place and applies to those who are following the law. In fact, when we passed the constitutional carry law, we passed along with it harsh penalties for those who actually use guns in violent crimes.”
State Representative John Gillespie voted against open carry. "The reason I voted against it was because all the law enforcement, all the DA's and ordinary citizens that I represent all told me that it would be a very very bad idea. It saddens me that they were all right," said Gillespie.
Governor Lee said, “We have to remember the difference between law abiding citizens and criminals. A constitutional carry law is in place and applies to those who are following the law. In fact, when we passed the constitutional carry law, we passed along with it harsh penalties for those who actually use guns in violent crimes.” He said in a special legislative session, lawmakers will work to propose ideas that will balance both rural and urban areas.