Put Kids First and End Permitless Carry for Guns

Target: Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee

Goal: Do not allow gun purchasers to carry concealed firearms without a permit or skirt training and background checks.

Nashville, Tennessee became the latest ground zero for America’s mass shooting epidemic when a suspect reportedly opened fire at a private elementary school, killing six people (including three children). The alleged shooter reportedly purchased most of the firearms used in the fatal shooting legally. And since the state’s politicians have worked over-time in recent years to loosen any gun regulations, these ultimately deadly purchases would have been no problem. Tennessee requires no training or background checks for most owners of handguns, nor is a permit required to carry either an open or concealed handgun for most individuals over 21. Instead of taking a second look at these overly permissive laws after such a tragedy, legislators are instead trying to up the Wild West atmosphere.

The most recent pro-gun law was signed over a year ago, and it codified permitless carry for handguns. This law went into effect despite protests from the local law enforcement agencies that would be most aware of the law’s potential ramifications. More recently, state politicians have fought for bills that would allow concealed handguns on college campuses and that would expand the permitless carry law to include all firearms as well as lower the age eligible for permitless carry from 21 to 18.

Governor Bill Lee has consistently dismissed or downplayed any efforts at gun control while claiming the state’s obligation to “make certain…children come home safely.” Sign the petition below to demand the governor reverse his stance that prioritizes the rights of weapons over the rights of kids.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor Lee,

“During the hours I was there, not a single parent asked me for a thought or a prayer. They asked for me and my colleagues to have some courage and do something about this.” A legislative representative from Nashville issued this statement in the wake of America’s latest school shooting. Advocates in Memphis, where gun-related school violence surged after the passage of the permitless carry law, have echoed similar sentiments.

Governor, you have long talked about your responsibility to help ensure “children come home safely,” and you have claimed to “protect the Second Amendment and…the citizens of our state at the same time.” How are these assurances working so far, and why is the right to a weapon increasingly given more weight than the right of children to live and learn safely? By all accounts, the school targeted for this act of violence undertook the safety protocols you have previously championed.

All the preparation in the world could not save these victims from the carnage of weapons legally purchased in a permissive and lax state gun industry. Now, instead of reevaluating the rampant deregulation of deadly firearms, politicians are trying to thwart any sensible measures. You have been warned by law enforcement experts about the dangers of permitless carry, and the Tennessee legislature’s response is to expand this harmful practice by allowing more firearms and young firearms carriers under its umbrella?

Children are being locked away in schools while Tennessee is busy breaking any chains for gun owners. What is wrong with this picture? If you truly care about Tennessee’s people, you will rethink the lack of background checks or gun safety training in this state. Furthermore, you will rethink permitless carry altogether. Any move to expand this practice would be politicization of a life-or-death issue of the worst kind, and it will lead to the loss of more innocent life.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: User B at Wikipedia