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| Congressman John Rose now has a challenger in the 2026 Republican Primary for Governor of Tennessee
Tennessee Congressman John Rose has been openly
campaigning to be Tennessee’s next governor in the 2026 elections. As
of August 6, 2025, he now has a primary challenger, Tennessee Senator
Marsha Blackburn, according to numerous news outlets.
Curiously, there has been some speculation concerning Sen. Blackburn’s
plans because many of her volunteers, employees or handlers have been
appearing at numerous events with stickers and yard signs suggesting
that she was running for her Senate re-election in 2030 rather than to
run for governor in 2026.
With at least two Republicans now announced for the race, this at a
minimum means that Tennesseans can look forward to an interesting
Republican primary contest. Hopefully, such a race will contain a lot
of substantive detail on what differentiates the candidates in terms of
prior accomplishments and concrete promises. In particular,
Tennessee’s Second Amendment believers must determine, after Bill Lee
and Bill Haslam, where these contenders stand on hard core conservative
issues like the Second Amendment.
Tennessee’s Second Amendment believers must be attending the
candidate forums and debates. They need to make sure that these are
being recorded – or record them themselves. But it is not enough to
just attend a forum or debate, it is critical to ask (or submit)
questions for the candidates to answer and to hold the candidates
accountable for full, clear and complete answers.
What kind of questions? Consider these possible questions:
- Does Tennessee have Real Constitutional Carry?
- How does the candidate define Real Constitutional Carry?
- What is it about Tennessee law as it now exists that keeps it from
being Real Constitutional Carry?hat the citizens of this State have a
right to keep and to bear arms.
- Does Tennessee make it a crime for an individual to carry a firearm
“with the intent to go armed” even on their own property or in their own
home?
- Will the candidate promise here and now to introduce as an
administration bill (and include in the governor’s budget) legislation
to eliminate the “intent to go armed” criminal offense from Tennessee
law?
- Does Tennessee’s existing statutory list of prohibited locations,
such as parks and greenways, constitute an unconstitutional infringement
on the rights of citizens to carry a firearm for any lawful purpose
including self-defense?
- Do existing state and local restrictions on citizens carrying a
firearm into or onto most public places constitute an unconstitutional
infringement on the rights of citizens to carry a firearm for any lawful
purpose including self-defense?
– If there are places that the
candidate thinks can constitutionally be established as a gun free zone
by the government, what are they and why are bans permissible for those
locations? - Will the candidate promise here and now to introduce as an
administration bill (and include in the governor’s budget) legislation
to eliminate gun free zones in Tennessee (and list any exceptions)?
- Does Tennessee currently allow individuals to brandish a weapon or
use deadly force to protect their home, their property, the businesses,
or their personal or business tangible property?
- Will the candidate promise here and now to introduce as an
administration bill (and include in the governor’s budget) legislation
to allow individuals to brandish a weapon or use deadly force to protect
property (and list any exceptions)?
- Over the last 30 years, the governors’ administrations have allowed
representatives from the Department of Safety and/or the Tennessee
Bureau of Investigation to lobby legislators and/or express opinions in
committee hearings which opinions were in conflict with the rights of
citizens under the Second Amendment and/or violated the “shall not be
infringed” mandate. If you are governor, will you prohibit in writing
members of your administration from lobbying or testifying in the
Legislature with opinions on what the law should be relative to the
rights of citizens under the Second Amendment?
- Will you, similar to what Trump has done federally, terminate state
employees who have previously lobbied against or testified against the
rights of citizens as protected by the Second Amendment?
- Tennessee’s citizens have experienced since 1998 problems with the
way that TBI administers the firearms background checks required to
purchase firearms from licensed dealers. Will you support legislation
and include in your budget proposals the elimination of the Tennessee
Instant Check system and placing Tennessee under the FBI administered
National Instant Check System?
- Currently, Tennessee law prohibits individuals from carrying a rifle
or shotgun for self-defense even if they have a handgun permit.
However, more than 40 other states currently allow that including every
state that touches Tennessee. Will you support legislation and include
in your budget proposals changes to Tennessee law to eliminate the ban
on civilian carry of longarms?
- Certain Tennessee Legislators have filed resolutions to enable the
citizens to amend the state constitution in Article I, Section 26, to
eliminate a provision that is not moot based on the 2nd and 14th
Amendments. The proposed amendment (HJR53 by Rep. Reedy) would change
the Tennessee constitution to read “That the citizens of this State have
a right to keep and to bear arms.” If elected governor, will you
insist that this amendment be presented for a referendum vote as soon as
possible and will you actively lobby for its passage?
- Do you regularly carry a handgun in Tennessee for self-defense or other lawful purposes?
- Do you support “Red Flag” laws – why or why not?
- Do you think that state or local law enforcement should be entitled
to carry or possess firearms that are prohibited to individual citizens?
Why or why not?
- Do you think that the Second Amendment protects the rights of
citizens to purchase, own and carry any firearm or other “arm” that
individual military soldiers are allowed to carry? Why or why not?
- Do you think that the Second Amendment protects the rights of citizens to purchase, own and carry machineguns? Why or why not?
- State parks presently have many recreational features for citizens
such as ball diamonds, golf courses, etc. Do you believe that state
parks should be configured to make available state wide gun ranges for
civilian use?
- If you are elected to the office of Governor, will you serve your entire term even if some other perhaps more desirable office becomes available?
These questions can be a handy aid in gaining insight on where these
candidates, actually any candidate, are on the scope of your rights
under the Second Amendment. It is the obligation of the citizens to
press the candidates for answers to these questions, to document the
responses (audio or video tapes) and to be prepared to hold them
accountable to these promises if elected. Are you ready to protect your rights now after almost sixteen years
of broken promises from those currently in control of Tennessee? Consider taking this list and sharing it with others. Do your best to get answers (particularly recorded or on video) to these and similar questions. Post the responses on social media and spread the word so that the voters will know specifically which state legislators are truthfully strong Second Amendment supporters and which are covering up for the "team players" who are not. |
| 2025 TFALAC Annual Event – Saturday, September 6, 2025
The 2025 TFALAC Annual Event is Saturday, September 6, 2025. It also will be the 30th Anniversary of the Tennessee Firearms Association!
Lt. General Michael Flynn will be the Keynote
Speaker this year.
The event includes guest speakers, a BBQ lunch, live auction, silent auction, vendor booths and more.
Event Sponsors
We are pleased to announce and thank the following Event
Sponsors who have already committed: - AJ
McCall is
a returning Event Sponsor. Mr. McCall is a principle at D. T. McCall and Sons which
has also signed up as one of our vendors.
- Congressman John Rose is another of
Tennessee’s Congressional team that is a regular TFA supporter, Event Sponsor
and prior speaker. Congressman Rose has also formally announced that he is
running for Governor in 2026.
- Rusty Oak Armory
is a long time TFA member and supporter. It is also a long time sponsor of the
TFALAC annual event and donates a custom built AR15 as the event’s auction “gun
of the year”. Rusty Oak Armory has also produced a custom line of its AR15
rifles and receivers that have serial numbers that start with “TFA….” and TFA’s
approved logo if you are in need of a new or additional AR15.
- WHMC Gun Shop
is returning as an event sponsor with donations of several custom firearms.
- Hickok45
has again joined TFALAC as a sponsor. As has been his generous tendency, he has
indicated that he will be donating at least one firearm that he has profiled in
one of his online videos.
If you are interested in a sponsorship for the 2025 annual event, please
contact John Harris (johnharris@tennesseefirearms.com).
Tier 1 Sponsor $20,000
Tier 2 Sponsor $15,000
Tier 3 Sponsor $10,000
Tier 4 Sponsor $5,000
Tickets, Tables, Vendors and Booths
Individual tickets ($100), Table Sponsors ($750), Event Sponsorships and Vendor packages are available on the TFALAC's Event page and going fast (we have already sold 24 Table Sponsors who are receiving priority placement).
You do not have to be a member of TFA to attend this event.
Auction Item Donations - TFALAC
welcomes donations of auction items.
TFALAC has a history of having a fine
assortment of firearms and other items as part of its auction package but we
also have had ammo, jewelry, gun safes, vacation trips, duck hunting packages,
and even car wash coupons. If you or your business are interested in making a
donation or providing auction items in exchange for promotional advertising,
please get in touch with johnharris@tennesseefirearms.com
soon.
You can join the Tennessee Firearms Association at join.tennesseefirearms.com
TFALAC is a Tennessee political action committee. Contributions to TFALAC are
not tax deductible as charitable contributions. TFALAC is affiliated with the
Tennessee Firearms Association, which is recognized by the IRS as a Section
501(c)(4) entity. |
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