TN Gov. Bill Lee Asks For Stronger Gun Laws, Will Presumably Be Expelled From TN House

MAGAs wouldn't call him a RINO over this, would they?

Two weeks after the school shooting in Nashville that killed three children and three adults, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee yesterday signed an executive order that will incrementally strengthen the state's background check law, and also called on the state Legislature to pass a "red flag" law that would allow judges to temporarily remove firearms from people found to be a threat to themselves or others.

The executive order doesn't expand the scope of background checks beyond existing federal and state law — it wouldn't, for instance, require background checks for gun sales between private individuals. But it would require that criminal activity and court-ordered mental health information be reported to Tennessee's instant background check system within 72 hours. It also directs the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which runs the background checks (and has the same abbreviation as "traumatic brain injury"), to review the system and submit a report within two months identifying "any barriers to complete, accurate, and timely reporting of information" in the system. As we say, incremental.

Lee also called on the state Lege to pass an Extreme Risk Protection Order law, colloquially called a "red flag" law, saying, "A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population." The Nashville Tennessean reports that four days after the March 27 shooting at the private elementary school, Lee told the paper that

he believes people who are a danger to themselves or to others should not have access to weapons, a position he reiterated a few days later when announcing a slate of school safety measures with Republican legislative leaders.

So far, though, the only action the Lege has taken has been on that package of measures to "harden" school security, which includes funding for at least one armed guard at every school in the state. (Some members of the staff at The Covenant School apparently carry guns at least some of the time, for all the good that accomplished.) The school security law doesn't include any measures to curb the proliferation of guns in Tennessee, which has some of the loosest gun regulations in the country. 

As Yr Wonkette noted the day after the Nashville shooting, Lee signed into law a bill allowing Tennesseans to carry handguns — openly or concealed — without a permit, and without any gun safety training. The state Lege is currently considering a bill to expand that law to cover all weapons, so people can walk into Dunkin' Donuts with an AR-15 and make everyone feel safer from bad guys.

Lee has also protected children from drag shows and gender-affirming medical care this year, but we are encouraged to see that now he's willing to call for a measure that could get guns out of the hands of dangerous people. During his presser yesterday, Lee carefully avoided using the term "red flag law" because that upsets gun humpers so much. The Tennessean reports that Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) has mapped out his support for extreme risk protection orders, but that state House Speaker Cameron Sexton has "expressed skepticism that such an order could contain appropriate due process protections." Still, he hasn't openly opposed passing such a law — just as long as a stalker or domestic abuser's right to self-protection is preserved.

Say, that mention of Cameron Sexton reminds us that in fact Democratic members of the Tennessee Lege have been calling for action on gun reform — and getting expelled for doing so without permission — and have even introduced bills to reduce the carnage. Democratic state Sen. Heidi Campbell has even introduced an extreme risk protection order bill, although it hasn't moved forward at all. Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D) endorsed Lee's call for action yesterday, saying Lee is "right to make this a priority before session ends," adding that Democrats are "ready to work with the governor and the supermajority to get something done."

So will the protests calling for stricter gun laws, and Lee's call for the Legislature to listen to them, actually result in a red flag law? A 2021 bill to establish extreme risk protection orders failed, but who knows — perhaps the Legislature's fuckbungle in trying to silence those calling for reform, plus Lee's support, will shake some Republicans just enough that they'll decide a red flag law counts as doing something about guns, if only so the protesters will go away.

Not terribly likely, but let's start the morning with some very, very cautious optimism.

[ Tennessean / Politico / Tennessee Executive Order #100 / WaPo ]

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