Constitutional Carry is quite responsible

In a recent post, I commented on the editorial by a former managing editor at the Knoxville News-Sentinel. But I didn't stop there, I wrote a letter to the editor. But freedom of the press doesn't mean that that newspapers are required to print letters to the editor. So far, they haven't chosen to print my letter. Here it is:

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February 16, 2017

Editor, News-Sentinel

The February 15 editorial by your former managing editor is long on hyperbole and short on facts. With the recent furor over what has been deemed “fake news”, an attempt should have been made to get the facts straight.

Here are some irrefutable facts to consider before coming to a conclusion on this subject-

1. In spite of his misgivings about demonstrating proficiency on a firing range, Tennesseans are legally carrying guns in their cars without training or permits every day, no problem. Tennessee recognizes permits from all states, including Georgia, which has no required training. Has that been a problem, other than in the imagination of newspaper columnists and liberal Democrat politicians?

2. A total of thirty states authorize Constitutional Open Carry. This means that folks in all those states carry without state mandated training. Where are all the resultant gunfights?

3. Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming do not require a permit to carry a handgun openly or concealed. No blood running in the streets. Are we Tennesseans just knuckle dragging hillbillies that can’t be likewise trusted?

 SCCY CPX-2 MSRP $314

4. Many Tennesseans, including many elderly urban residents simply cannot afford the high permitting cost on top of the price of an inexpensive handgun. This makes them defenseless whenever they step out of the house. Don’t their lives matter?

The writer’s false narrative vilifies Constitutional Carry. He attempts to equate it with yelling fire in a crowded theater. The difference is that the first is a benign act, the second is unconscionable, unless there actually is a fire.

Check the five core principles of journalism from the Ethical Journalism Network. The first, Truth and Accuracy, begins with, “Journalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism.”

Respectfully,

Liston Matthews

Knoxville, TN

Edit, with thanks to Dan Meredith. Sorry, I can't control the volume.



Also, see Richard Archie's column HERE.

New Hampshire permitless carry

In recent news, New Hampshire passed permitless carry, aka Constitutional Carry.

Strange those New Englanders, now including Maine and Vermont (since forever) can be trusted to carry a defensive firearm without first getting a permission slip from their master, the State! But many Tennessee leaders continue to deny this natural right, this God given right to citizens.

Here is the skinny on the NH law-

NH SENATE BILL 12-FN: 
III.  The availability of a license to carry a loaded pistol or revolver under this section or under any other provision of law shall not be construed to impose a prohibition on the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle, or on or about one’s person, whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, by a resident, nonresident, or alien if that individual is not otherwise prohibited by statute from possessing a firearm in the state of New Hampshire.

So, now we hillbillies can go vacation in New Hampshire and carry without a permit, but not here at home.

What do you think? What does shall not be infringed mean?

Tennessee Constitutional Carry Bill, 2017

Or, will the sky fall if this bill passes?

This Constitutional Carry bill should pass with little debate in the Tennessee Legislature, and be quickly signed by the governor as he said he would. But, pundits such as Frank Cagle of the Knoxville News-Sentinel will hide behind the First Amendment while taking potshots at this Second Amendment restoration bill. Cagle, in his February 15th diatribe,* is correct in the second sentence of his piece, where he speaks about Second Amendment advocacy groups,

You can't declare victory and go home.

Certainly, we on the right have made the mistake of staying/going home all too often, with the result that the left has taken us too far down the road of socialism/statism. Yes, Virginia, er Mr. Cagle, you got your 1968 Gun Control Act. You got your Brady Background Check. You've got the Veterans' Administration and Social Security Administration reporting individuals to the instant check system (as prohibited persons), without due process.

None of the above accomplished the alleged objective of reducing crime.

Wanna pack heat in Farragut Town Hall?

Farragut Town Hall

Currently, under Tennessee law, a person may carry a firearm in a vehicle without a handgun carry permit. Upon exiting the car, a permit is required.

Generally, with a permit, entry into non-posted locations is legal in the state. Many government buildings, however, are posted. Among those is Farragut Town Hall and the library at Founders Park at Campbell Station. So if you have a permit, the law disarms you, and prevents you from providing for your own defense effectively!

When HB0363 bill was introduced in the Tennessee House by Rep. Jason Zachary at the beginning of February, I thought, "It's a good bill."

But unless a companion bill is introduced in the Tennessee Senate, it is DOA.

Tennessee, like the U.S. Congress and most states, has a bicameral legislative body. This means a bill has to pass both house and senate before it can go to the governor for signature.

This week, February 8, Senate Bill 0653 was filed for introduction in the Senate, so now it is a real bill.

The bill, if passed, would require governmental entities to either remove their posting signs; or ante up the money and provide (some semblance) of security for those taxpayer owned facilities.

One amendment I would like to see added: where there are security checkpoints, citizens should be able to check their guns at the door.

Goodman Gun and Knife Shows and TFA appeal Nashville's fairground gun show ban

News release from TFA. Posted on February 2, 2017 by JohnHarris-

Bill Goodman Gun and Knife Shows and the Tenn. Firearms Association file appeal in lawsuit challenging Nashville ban of gun shows at the Fairgrounds

The citizens of Tennessee need organizations that are willing to fight for our rights.  Organizations that are willing to fight hard and not capitulate.

The Bill Goodman Gun and Knife Shows working with the Tennessee Firearms Association is such a team of organizations.  This week, it has filed an appeal of the trial court’s rulings last summer that determined that the Plaintiffs lacked “standing” to even question whether Nashville was violating its own charter restrictions and/or state law when the Fair Board decided at the end of 2015 to ban gun shows at the Fairgrounds unless the promoters imposed restrictions on the private sale of firearms that were not required by federal or state law.  You can read the appellate brief here.

If you are a TFA member and would like to help support this effort as well as others such as the TFA’s pending litigation against the City of Knoxville relative to Chilhowee Park, please consider a supplemental member donation.

If you are not a TFA member or need to renew, please considering joining or renewing today as we continue to really fight for our rights to keep and bear arms.