A recent poll in Tennessee shows a drop in support of Republican Governor Bill Lee’s new and improved “red flag” bill. He’s calling in the General Assembly for a special session to make some changes in August. Changes the Tennessee GOP doesn’t want. And changes the Tennesseans don’t want either.
“To be clear, the Governor does not support red flag laws. His proposal is different from any law across the country – it would strengthen Tennessee’s existing law around the order of protection process for cases of domestic violence and enhance support for law enforcement, ensure due process, require the highest burden of proof, and boost mental health support,” said Press Secretary Jade Byers.
This feels like Lee is saying he doesn’t like red flag laws, but he does like his red flag laws. For a while now, Lee has been called a RINO Republican. This isn’t helping his case. You can’t say you don’t support red flag laws then turn around, change the process to execute an extreme risk protection order, and say it isn’t a red flag law. This is like someone under 27 telling me that “real socialism” hasn’t been tried before so we need to try it again.
According to a survey conducted between May 30 and June 1, 2023, support for the proposed red flag bill dropped from 61% to 44% because, guess what…respondents “read the bill.” That is, they were informed. After being asked if they support the measure, they were told that the law would only take a firearm away, rather than deal with the issue – the individuals. When We The People find out that the government – and special interest groups like the pinko commie mommies – is telling us an untruth, We The People get pissed and won’t have any of it.
Opponents of red flag laws argue that they pose a threat to Second Amendment rights and due process, and do not prevent criminal acts. Lee’s proposal is slightly different as it requires a hearing where a person can offer a defense before a judge would be allowed to order authorities to confiscate weapons, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Before ordering that a person’s guns be taken away, a judge would have to see proof of “mental illness, serious behavioral condition or serious emotional disturbance.”
Hopefully, the definition of “mental illness” won’t be like former Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of “pornography.” They’ll know it when they see it. So who is going to define said “mental illness”?
The good news is that Tennesseans want to remove the criminals from society and not take away the firearms from the people who aren’t committing the crimes. There have been a lot of people moving to Tennessee to escape “occupied territory” because the Volunteer State has been pretty good with gun laws and other civil liberties. In 2021, ironically, Lee did sign permitless carry into law.
All of this is due to the transgender human with a mental illness. The individual bought a gun, entered a gun free zone, and killed six people before she/he/whatever, was killed by the police – pretty effectively. The murderer formerly attended the school and knew how to get around within the building.
Having taken the FASTER Saves Lives, Level 1 course a couple years ago, I would strongly suggest to Governor Lee, the Tennessee General Assembly, and the Tennessee State Board of Education to bring in the FASTER staff and teach the teachers how to respond to the next active murderer in a school. Governor Lee has allocated $280,000,000 to school safety and mental health in schools. That asset allocation was a popular move among survey respondents.
Despite how the bill reads, criminals need to be held accountable. People who society and the authorities can prove are a menace to society, need to be removed from society. Schools need to be hard targets, secure, and faculty members need training on trauma first aid and if desired, firearms training. Lee’s proposed law, even if it’s red flag his way, would still be unconstitutional. His issues would be bigger than just that, the people are not in favor of such measures, and they very well may show it at the ballot box should he ever decide to run for office again in the future.
