Veto override NOW!

On Thursday Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-TN) vetoed a bill that would have allowed handgun carry permit holders the right to carry their firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol, as long as that place of business was not restricted to patrons who are 21 and older that require identification checks for entrance.  The bill, HB0962, which would have strengthened the second amendment rights of Tennesseans also carried a strict prohibition on the consumption of alcohol while carrying a firearm, as is already federal and state law. 

Gov. Bredesen explained that "As a young man growing up in a small town, I attended a gun safety class in my high school sponsored by the National Rifle Association. A basic tenet taught in that class was this: “Guns and alcohol don’t mix.” This seemingly common sense proposition is as true today as it was almost 50 years ago." Using that justification to veto the bill begs the question-- Did he even read the bill!? The bill was in no way, shape, or form, an endorsement of drinking while carrying firearms, so there wouldn't be this mix of "guns and alcohol". The bill in the context that it arrived to his desk would have allowed law abiding citizens who already carry responsibly to take their firearms with them into restaurants as opposed to leaving them in their cars, or not carrying at all. Just think about that logic for a second...now think about all the places where alcohol is present. Presence of alcohol should not be confused with consumption of alcohol.

Let's face it, if the bill were to pass, the "wild west" mantra that this bill was vetoed on would have been a non-issue. 30+ other states have similar policies that allow their citizens to arm themselves within the context of the law, and have had success with it. The fact is this bill was an affirmation of the rights of Tennesseans who are law-abiding. The bill also would have allowed restaurants the ability to control their own businesses privately by allowing them to post "no-carry" signs if they wished to ban handguns from their premises. The idea that Tennessee would have become a wild west movie gone bad was championed by Ronal Serpas, the Chief of Police for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Let me remind you Chief Serpas, you are an appointed official, not an elected official. Your role is to enforce the laws already in place, not create new policy. 

The bill which was sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd (R-Collierville), received more than 2/3 support from both chambers of the general assembly before being sent to the Governors desk. In vetoing the bill, the Governor clearly abused his discretion. The house and senate could override his veto with simple majority votes in both chambers, and I hope they do. 

Abraham Lincoln once said:

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.”

Gov. Bredesen who has painted himself as a staunch supporter of Tennesseans right to keep and bear arms, broke promises about this legislation that he made when campaigning. Governor, bear in mind the words of Lincoln. Trust your citizens.