For the last decade, the Tennessee legislature has passed legislation to loosen the state’s gun laws. Legislators argue that laws allowing more people to carry guns more places will make our communities safer. But, are they right? GUN LAWS PASSED IN TENNESSEE 2008 “Guns in Bars” law allows any gun permit holder to carry a loaded gun, open or concealed
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More Tennesseans were fatally shot in 2017 than in any previous year on record. If an illness were killing our friends, family, and neighbors at such an alarming rate, we would not hesitate to label it a crisis. And that’s what gun violence is. It’s a public health crisis. We need to address it the same way we would any
Read moreThis is what just four days of gun violence in Tennessee looks like. This list is based only on stories reported by the media, meaning it is likely an undercount. Not all shootings are reported by the press. Four days 15 shooting incidents 13 injuries 6 fatalities Monday – Marshall County – 2 Fatalities Peter Michael Fantoni went to his
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Tennessee has continued the systematic loosening of our already lax firearm laws and based on legislation filed for 2018, that trend will likely continue. Every year, the Tennessee Legislature rejects any effort to strengthen firearm laws and instead, passes legislation to further relax them. The gun lobby maintains that more guns more places for more people will make our communities
Read moreOver the past three weeks, we have seen our membership numbers grow, our donations increase, and the number of “likes” on our Facebook page jump. We have seen the issue of gun violence take center stage at the recent Democratic debate and candidates call out the National Rifle Association. In national conference calls, national and state gun violence prevention groups
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