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TFA applauds move of Rep. Clay Doggett and other
Legislators requesting thatGovernor Bill Lee protect Second
Amendment rights of Tennesseans. Rep. Clay Doggett has been joined by thirty-seven (37) other members of
the State House of Representatives and five (5) State Senators in a
letter issued by Rep. Doggett’s office calling on Governor Bill Lee and
also Attorney General Herbert Slatery requesting that these public
officials defend and protect the constitutionally recognized and
protected rights of Tennesseans as required by the Second Amendment.
The letter asks Governor Lee and Attorney General Slatery to “refuse to
enforce such arbitrary and illegal rulings [by the ATF], and that you
activate the legal means and law enforcement powers of this state as
necessary to prevent the ATF from providing for its own enforcement of
such criminal measures within the state of Tennessee.”
Tennessee
Firearms Association applauds Rep. Clay Doggett and those other members
of the General Assembly who joined in on this petition to the Governor
and Attorney General to do their jobs and uphold their oaths. Notably,
many of those whose names are on this list are the same Legislators who
were calling for the passage of REAL constitutional carry in 2021 as TFA
applauds that action as well even though the effort to get REAL constitutional was unsuccessful so far.
The letter opens with identifying
two recent proposed rules by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives which seeks to materially change federal law in
the absence of Congressional changes to long-standing statutory
definitions that distinguish between and among firearms that are
regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934 (which require $200
transfer taxes to be paid on such items) and firearms regulated only by
the 1968 Gun Control Act. Presently pending, as detailed in the letter,
are proposals by BATFE to change administratively certain definitions
in order to ban or increase the regulation on firearms such as AR15’s in
order to make them subject to the 1934 National Firearms Act and to
change the regulations regarding stabilizing braces for “AR pistols” so
that those items are also reclassified as subject to the National
Firearms Act and its taxing mechanisms. This administrative gun
control attack suggests that the Biden administration knows that it
lacks the votes in Congress to so openly violate the Second Amendment’s
prohibitions on the eve of a major election cycle.
Including
these items in the NFA does at least four things – 1) it would create a
national database of individuals who own these items, 2) it would impose
a $200 transfer tax on each such item, 3) it would impose massive
federal penalties and jail sentences to possess an “unregistered” item,
and 4) it would delay for as much as 1 year, or more, the process of
acquiring one of these items even if you completed the forms and paid
the fees thereby destroying the so called “instant check”.
All
of these steps are direct assaults on the rights of Tennesseans by an
out of control federal government under the lead of Joe Biden. However,
it is also significant that the “template” for this kind of abusive gun
control actually started with the ATF under the Trump administration
when Donald Trump directed the ATF to take action to ban “bumpstocks” –
and it did using the exact same process that it is attempting to use now
on AR15s and pistols with arm braces.
Many saw the ATF’s
action under Trump as an unconstitutional attack on our Second Amendment
rights although some, including some notable parties in the “gun
rights” movement compromised on the issue rather than fight.
Nevertheless, the action has given rise to a grassroots movement in many
states and local governments which have enacted “sanctuary state” and
“sanctuary city” resolutions, ordinances and laws in an attempt to
negate the federal abuses. The federal government has scoffed at those
attempts as ineffective, meager and futile. Thus, the real battle will
likely be when individual states stand up and insist that the actions of
these presidents and their ATFs are open and hostile attacks on both
the 2nd and 10th Amendments and that the states, as sovereigns receiving
pressure from their citizens, will not tolerate.
Tennessee
Firearms Association is pleased to see 43 of the 132 state Legislators
standing up in an effort to protect our 2nd Amendment rights. However,
that also means that 89 elected officials, including a majority in the
House and an overwhelming majority in the Senate are not signatories to
this letter. It is important for every Tennessean to look at the list
of names on this letter and, if you do not see your name on the list,
call and write your legislators to find out why and, while you await a
response, perhaps start looking for someone to replace them in 2022.
It
will also be important to see how Bill Lee, who undoubtedly will seek
re-election in 2022, responds. Will he draw a line in the sand on
federal abuses as some other governors have done, or not? Let’s hope
that he “feels the heat” to honor the oath that he took.
You can see copies of Rep. Doggett's press release and the letters to Governor Bill Lee and Attorney General Herbert Slatery on the TFA's news post.
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Executive Director
johnharris@tennesseefirearms.com
Joining and supporting TFA is an investment in the
fight to restore our constitutional rights and to fight against politicians who
are willing to sell their votes and your rights to whichever business interest
gives them the most money!
TFA Website: www.tennesseefirearms.com
TFA PAC: www.tfalac.org
Archives through January 7, 2021:
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