On of the most commonly discussed 2nd Amendment related topics this year
has been the Governor’s declaration several months ago that he was
filing his own constitutional carry legislation. That led to some
great optimism since for the last decade the GOP controlled Legislature
had shown no appetite for the constitution’s mandate that the right to
keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. As the details of the
Governor’s bill slowly came to light, it became clear that it was
largely a crime control bill at least based on the fiscal projections
relative to all the new proposed jail sentences and criminal
prosecutions. Rather than including true constitutional carry, it also
included a qualified exception to a criminal charge of illegally carry a
handgun which exception would only be available to the people who were
eligible to apply for the enhanced handgun permit but did not want to do
so. The Governor’s bill was approved, as amended, by the House
Judiciary this week and moves forward in the House. It is in the
Senate’s Finance committee.
There are at least 2 other bills
that would support permitless carry. One is HB1553 by Rep. Bruce
Griffey (SB1566 by Sen. Joey Hensley)and the other HB2661 by Rep. Christ
Todd (SB2888 by Sen. Paul Bailey). Both of these bills moved forward
this week and are set to be heard in the House Judiciary on June 2.
They have not been heard yet in Senate Judiciary.
Please call your legislators regarding your position on these and other bills. You can identify your legislators and get their contact information on the state’s “
Find My Legislator” page.
Mark your calendars! The TFALAC's annual event and auction which is intended to raise funds for the TFALAC (a state registered political action committee) in order to support pro-2nd Amendment candidates is August 9, 2020. There is still time to get sponsorships, vendor tables, attendee tables and tickets. Event will be at a new location this year with limited occupancy so act quickly to make sure you can participate! Get information and tickets on the
TFALAC's 2020 Event webpage.
