‘No More Excuses.’ Tennessee Firearms Association Sets 2027 Legislative Agenda

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Democrats have not been shy about sharing their 2027 legislative agendas, with gun control playing a prominent part in newly blue or entrenched blue states. However, they aren’t the only ones with agendas. On November 11, the Tennessee Firearms Association, the state-level gun rights group that has played a prominent leadership role in the national fight against gun control, rolled out its 2027 legislative agenda to breathe new life into the effort.

TFA framed the rollout of its agenda around the announcement of Marsha Blackburn’s election to serve as state governor. Ms. Blackburn has been nearly silent on her legislative platform as it relates to Second Amendment rights, refusing to participate in policy-oriented surveys and turning down interview requests. Even in this context, TFA allowed some grace, stating, “…her refusal does establish that voters received no specific commitments from her on those issues.”

Silence is of course not a viable policy statement nor does it further credibility with the Tennessee voter base, which leans heavily red, and values its deeply rooted gun culture.

“Governor-elect Blackburn and the Tennessee Legislature’s Republican leadership and supermajority caucus will have an opportunity in 2027 to demonstrate whether their professed support for the Second Amendment will result in actual constitutionally based reforms. We intend to measure their performance and the loyalty to the oaths by the laws they repeal, the reforms that they advance, and the constitutional restrictions they continue to defend. Speeches, endorsements, and campaign advertisements got them elected but now is the time to honor those commitments,” John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, told News2A.

Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and maintained supermajorities in the Tennessee General Assembly for 16 years, yet in that time, not only have they failed to repeal Tennessee’s “intent to go armed” statute, after a court invalidated it as unconstitutional, former Governor Bill Lee and his Attorney General Skrmetti doubled down on their defense of it. The legislature’s March 2026 attempt to rewrite the offending measure ended up yielding no effective solution, but in the eyes of the TFA worsened the situation.

Setting its eyes on 2027, TFA asserts, “The Tennessee Firearms Association believes that 2027 must mark a fundamental change in how constitutional rights are addressed by the General Assembly and the governor.”

Citing the Constitution as the ground zero starting point, TFA has set the following 10 priorities for 2027:

1. Repeal Tennessee’s “Intent to Go Armed” Offense
2. Repeal the Prohibitions on Carrying in Parks and Public Recreational Areas
3. Make the Right to Carry Apply Equally to Eligible Adults and All Commonly Possessed Firearms
4. Remove Unjustified Gun-Free Zones and Require Government Accountability for Public Safety
5. Reform Posted-Property Laws and Their Criminal Penalties
6. Protect Self-Defense Rights and Due Process
7. Restore and Protect the Citizen’s Ability to Challenge Unconstitutional Government Action
8. Strengthen Firearms Preemption and Limit Unauthorized Government Regulation
9. Eliminate Unnecessary Government Burdens on Firearms Transactions
10. Strengthen Tennessee’s Constitution and Reform Institutional Accountability

“Tennessee’s gun owners must reject the familiar practice of accepting broad campaign assurances as substitutes for tangible legislative results. These reforms will not be accomplished by treating elected officials as political celebrities, personal friends, or benefactors whose occasional favorable votes deserve permanent loyalty. Legislators are public servants,” said TFA.

To learn how you can personally answer the call to action as a Tennessean, or a concerned citizen in any state, read the full TFA announcement here.

New Jersey has been a national example of how individuals can protect 2A rights through grassroots efforts, with a movement that has resulted in over 25 municipalities passing rebates to return state-mandated permit fees to citizens.