Monday, June 08, 2009
(photo: Blazin' M Ranch)
Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee has vetoed only six bills in his seven years in office, and until last week, the Legislature had never overridden a single one. But lawmakers were determined to overcome Bredesen’s objections when it came to allowing Tennesseans to carry handguns in bars. On Thursday the Tennessee Senate followed the state House in overriding the governor’s veto, and by next month, permit-holding residents can begin taking their sidearms with them when visiting their local tavern.
Democratic state Senator Doug Jackson sponsored the so-called guns-in-bars bill to allow law-abiding citizens the ability to protect themselves. Bredesen, on the other hand, said the new law is “an invitation to disaster,” and added that he has no regrets about vetoing the bill. Gary Jeffers, who has worked as a bouncer in bars, called the decision “the dumbest move that anybody in the Legislature has made in my lifetime.”
In the wake of the veto override, the governor said he may not veto another bill that would allow permit holders to take their guns into state and local parks. There are nearly 223,000 residents in Tennessee licensed to carry handguns, according to the state Department of Safety.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Senate Overrides Veto; Guns Allowed in Bars July 14 (by Tom Humphrey, Knoxville News Sentinel)
Idea of Guns in Bars Upsets Some; Others Pleased or Confused (by J.J. Stambaugh, Knoxville News Sentinel)
State House Easily Overrides Bredesen Veto of Gun Bill (by Jackson Baker, Memphis Flyer)
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