Senate confirms override of Bredesen veto.

The Tennessee legislature has voted to override Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) veto of HB0962 which allows handgun permit holders the right to lawfully carry their firearms in establishments that serve alcohol for consumption as long as the citizen is licensed to carry and not consuming alcohol. This measure further solidifies the second amendment rights of Tennesseans.

The house passed the measure on Wednesday by a margin of 69-27. The senate passed the override today by a margin of 21-9. According to the Tennessee Constitution, an override of a veto only requires a simple majority vote in each chamber. The bill passed both times with overwhelming support in each chamber.  

The measure is a strong message of confidence in responsible Tennesseans who are law-abiding citizens. 35 other states have similar laws including 6 that border the state, with no incidence of abuse by licensed permit holders. It's about time we get some common sense legislation. 

This common sense law will go into effect July 14, 2008 per Tennessee state law. 

TN House OVERRIDES Governors veto of HB0962

The Tennessee House of Representatives re-passed HB0962, the "restaurant carry bill", by a vote of 69-27 to override the veto handed down by Gov. Phil Bredesen. 

The bill which passed the senate by a vote of 26-7 before being sent to the governor which he vetoed, needs only a majority vote in both chambers of the assembly according to the state constitution. 

Thank you to all of our representatives that have kept the balance of power in tact in the state of Tennessee. The bill which initially passed with more than a 2/3 vote of support in both houses, now awaits it's second vote in the senate.

To our senators, vote to override. Respect the constitutional right of Tennesseans.

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.