In case you are unaware Mayor Haslam joined NYC Mayor Bloomberg's anti-gun coalition in an effort to curb crime in Knoxville. However Mayor Haslam then says that upon joining the coalition the leadership took a different direction and he withdrew from the organization. Fair enough and at the DCRP picnic Saturday 2nd Vice Chair Dan Davis and myself asked him about this issue. I wanted to hear the straight scoop directly from him in order to give him a chance to explain his actions before I decided.
Mayor Haslam discussed the story as I explained and he said his intention in the entire situation was simply to "stop the wrong people from having guns".
I asked him "what kind of people are you referring to that you say shouldn't have guns?"
And he responded with "felons, criminals, and those without a permit".
Then I asked "so you believe we need a permit or permission to exercise a right guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment?"
Mayor Haslam said "well, for handguns yes"
That told me everything I needed to know; I thanked him for his time then I ended the conversation and Dan and I walked away.
What Mayor Haslam does not understand is that ONE DOES NOT NEED A PERMIT TO EXERCISE A RIGHT!!!