NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Firearms Association issued a statement Tuesday in response to Gov. Bill Lee's executive order intended to strengthen background checks for gun purchases made in Tennessee.
The statement references the Supreme Court case New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen (2021), which struck down in a 6-3 decision, a New York state law that required anyone seeking a concealed carry permit to provide evidence of a special need for one that is "distinguishable from the general public."
Gov. Lee's executive order establishes a 72-hour time limit to report any criminal activity or mental health restrictions before a firearm is purchased. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation would be given the information to put into a national criminal background check system, which would flag anyone with domestic violence convictions, orders of protection against them, those with mental health adjudications and "other disqualifying" history not specifically defined in the order.
TFA says they believe the statements made by Gov. Lee "express no interest at all in protecting the private, mental or emotional health records of Tennesseans particularly when such information is irrelevant as a matter of law to the question of whether an individual can legally purchase or possess a firearm."
The concern expressed by TFA is that these flagged individuals under the executive order could access other weapons not identified as firearms to cause harm and that there is not enough being done to address the "more complicated problem of mental or emotional health."
Click the links in the article above to read the statement from the Tennessee Firearms Association and Gov. Lee's executive order in full.
See related: Gov. Lee signs order to strengthen background checks for guns
