NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lost in the last session, a bill that would require safe storage for guns in vehicles never made its way to becoming state law.
Rep. Caleb Hemmer and Sen. Jeff Yarbro — both Nashville Democrats — said they will take the bill off notice from the last session and push for it again in January. It will then go to a criminal justice subcommittee in the House and the Senate didn't take action after it was taken off notice.
The impetus of the bill came from the amount of guns stolen in Nashville, year after year. The last 10 months in Nashville already produced 1,000 stolen firearms, according to data from the Metro Nashville Police Department. The total number of guns stolen this year in Davidson County is 1,278. The bill would penalize car owners with a court-approved gun safety class for leaving the firearm in the vehicle.
During the special session on public safety, the bill was not heard.
Police lament often on social media to the public not to leave guns in cars, or leave the cars unlocked with a firearm in the vehicle.
"To have more than 1,000 guns stolen from cars in just Nashville is extremely disappointing," Hemmer said. "And, this is not just a Nashville problem. We know that Tennessee is the only state that has four cities in the top 15 list of cities where guns have been stolen from cars—and Memphis is number one on the list and Chattanooga is number two. While Nashville police point out that the numbers are slightly better than last year, the number of guns that are now in the hands of criminals is still staggering, and we know that stolen guns are the number one weapon of choice for felons to use in criminal activity. That’s why we are going to refile this legislation and continue to fight for responsible gun laws in the future to protect innocent Tennesseans.”
Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, told the Tennessee Lookout in April he was going to support the bill. NewsChannel 5 has reached out to Faison to see if he will reprise that support.
The legislature reconvenes on Jan. 9.
Previous reporting: REVEALED: Tennessee's other gun crisis — firearms stolen from cars, used against innocent victims
