Tim Nunan

Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc. Legislative Action Committee SB0976 (Beavers - TFA LIFE member) passes out of the Senate Judiciary on a 7/2 vote this afternoon. The bill is the Senate companion to the House bill HB0716 (Nicely) which has already passed the House on a vote of 71-22. The Senate bill is much better than the House version. It by default includes local parks as being open for permit holders but allows local governments to close the park (the entire park - not just a part) by passing an ordinance. http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0976 There was heavy lobbying against the bill by the State administration as well as a proposed amendment by Senator Kyle to give local governments the ability to close that portion of local parks in their jurisdictions. One improvement to the bill would be to require local action by 2/3 vote rather than a simple majority. We are of course talking about a US Supreme Court acknowledged right of self-defense and the issue is whether there is a compelling reason to infringe that right. A simple majority does not establish a compelling state or local interest to warrant infringement! Another important bill was HB1796 by West and Fincher (both TFA members), passed the House Judiciary today unanimously. Rep. West is still recovering from a heart attack and Rep. Henry Fincher handled the presentation on the bill. This is a 10th Amendment bill and perhaps the 1st to make it to the full floor this year! Its important not only for 2nd Amendment issues but 10th Amendment as well and should be well received conceptually by the Tea Party movement. This bill states that federal laws and regulations do not apply to personal firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition that is manufactured in Tennessee and remains in Tennessee. The limitation on federal law and regulation stated in this bill applies to a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured using basic materials and that can be manufactured without the inclusion of any significant parts imported into this state. This bill states that firearms accessories imported into Tennessee that are subject to federal regulation do not subject a firearm to federal regulation under interstate commerce simply because they are attached to or used in conjunction with a firearm in Tennessee. This bill followed on the heels of the passage of a similar law in Montana recently. It was also highlighted by Foxnews 17 in Nashville http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_5694.shtml Several other 2nd Amendment bills being monitored by TFA moved through their respective committees today. It was a strong day for progress on our package of bills. John Harris Executive Director

The May meeting of the Tennessee Firearms Association Lakeway Chapter will be held on Tuesday evening, the 19th of MAY, 2009 Detective Sergeant Kevin Genrtry, of the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department will address local crime. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our meeting place is the Shoneys Family Restaurant at 1933 West Andrew Johnson Highway (Hwy 11E), Morristown TN.This restaurant is located 1/2 block east of the West Andrew Johnson highway (Hwy 11E) and Morris Blvd intersection, more or less across from the Home Depot. There is a large, highly visible sign in front along with plenty of parking space. A pre-meeting social hour is from 6 PM to 7 PM during which you may want to eat dinner. The meeting will begin promptly at 7 PM and end at 8 PM. Opportunity will be given to ask questions related to the topic. Membership is not required - gun owners, 2nd Amendment supporters, and interested public are urged to attend. For more information contact Bill Kaylor 423 586 9121/email w9dsm@charter.net or Tim Nunan 423-586-8459/email bentcreek@outdrs.net.

While Chase may well actually oppose restaurant carry he like the Tennessee Restaurant Association liked being able to hid behind state law and not have to or get off the pot, i.e., pubically declare opposition to law abiding citizens being able defend themselves. For them it more about the money.

Jacqui Smith to announce email and internet tracking plans - Telegraph Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will announce proposals to extend Government records of billions of electronic conversations every month on Monday. Ministers say they are needed so police and the security services can investigate crime and terrorism. Current systems do not extend to new technologies such as online chat, internet phone calls and social networking sites such as Facebook. But civil liberties groups fear an expansion of "Big Brother" snooping powers. Campaigners are concerned the records could be used by councils and other government bodies. The Intercept Modernisation Programme could include a giant database to store the information. Reports put the cost at more than £12 billion. It will track details of when and where electronic communications are made but not their content. Investigators say they need the data before they can ask for permission to listen in on what suspects are saying. But critics say it would prove a "hell house" of private personal data. Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald said leaks were inevitable. He said last year: "All history tells us that reassurances like these are worthless in the long run. In the first security crisis the locks would loosen. "This database would be an unimaginable hell house of personal private information. It would be a complete readout of every citizen's life in the most intimate and demeaning detail." The consultation document "Protecting the public in a changing communications environment', will be published by the Home Office. Guy Herbert, General Secretary of campaign group NO2ID said: "Just a week after the Home Secretary announced a public consultation on some trivial trimming of local authority surveillance, we have this: a proposal for powers more intrusive than any police state in history. "Ministers are making a distinction between content and communications data into sound-bite of the year. But it is spurious. Officials from dozens of departments and quangos could know what you read online, and who all your friends are, who you emailed, when, and where you were when you did so – all without a warrant. Tracking your every move is more efficiently creepy than reading your letters."

It should not matter whether you own the car or not. What if its a rental? What if your car is being repaired and its a loaner. What if you normally drive a sedan but borrow a truck or 4x4 during hunting season? Let the senators know that it should make no difference who owns the vehicle.

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/106/Bill/SB1127.pdf Defines what a restaurant is for the purpose of allowing HCP to carry. Not sure if those if this phrase "...and such restaurant is not an age-restricted venue." whatever that means. Seems it tries to define bars by using age restriction.

While treaties don't supersede the Constitution pursuant to Article VI they like the laws created "...shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby,..."

Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc. Legislative Action Committee The House voted on April 30 not to accept the Senate bill - for a 2nd time. That triggered the appointment of a conference committee. The committee meeting is tentatively scheduled on Monday, May 4 at 2:00 PM in LP31. House Video: Start at 35 minutes http://tnga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1346 House Conference Members are Todd, McCord, Armstrong, Bass, Casada http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/ Senate Conference Members are: Jackson, Finney, Burchett, Stanley, Beavers http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/ I would strongly recommend phone calls to all conference members. I suspect we don't have to worry about the Senate members but we need to encourage the House members. Be firm. Insist that the conference committee adopt and recommend the Senate action. The one possible qualification on the Senate action would be stripping out the definition of a restaurant, however, its a good bill even with that language still in. John Harris Executive Director

Don't Forget SB0391; on Senate Judiciary Comm. Calendar for 04/29/2009 I realize that there is a lot going on at one time, but this one was (eventually) rolled to tomorrow as well. This is the senate version of the forfeiture bill. I am attaching the bill summary below. The net result of both provisions of the bill would be to make it more likely for innocent people to lose their animals. As an aside, the Hickman County woman with the 700+ confiscated animals DID have some stolen (or otherwise missing) animals that belonged to other people on at least one of the occasions when she was investigated. For more information about the ways in which civil asset forfeiture programs change law enforcement, see fear.org. Long story short, this bill is very much a "companion piece" to the Commercial Breeder Act. If you have not yet written to the committee about this bill, please do so! Bill Summary: Present law authorizes any governmental animal control agency or any humane society, chartered by this state, into whose custody any victimized animal is placed, to petition the court requesting that the person from whom the animal is seized, or the owner of the seized animal, be ordered to post security. The court may suspend the posting of security pending the disposition of criminal charges, if the defendant is indigent. The security must be in an amount sufficient to secure payment of all reasonable expenses expected to be incurred by the governmental animal control agency or the humane society in caring and providing for the animal pending disposition of the criminal charges. Under present law, if the person from whom the animal is seized is the owner of the animal and the person has not posted the security ordered pursuant to the present law provisions described above within 15 business days following the issuance of a security order, then the animal is deemed to have been abandoned and is forfeited to the governmental animal control agency or humane society for disposition in accordance with reasonable practices for the humane treatment of animals. However, if the person from whom the animal was seized is not the owner of the animal and the person has not posted the court-ordered security within 15 days, then the court must order the governmental animal control agency or the humane society to make all reasonable efforts to determine who the owner of the animal is and to notify the owner of the pending proceeding. This bill revises these provisions to instead provide that an animal would be abandoned and forfeited, as described above, if the security is not posted within "72 hours" instead of within "15 business days." This bill specifies that a failure to post the ordered security would not forfeit any ownership rights in the animal except those of the defendant in the pending criminal proceeding. Under present law, no animal is deemed to have been abandoned and forfeited to the governmental animal control agency or humane society until reasonable attempts to determine and notify the owner have been made. If the owner of the animal cannot be located after reasonable efforts or the owner is located and notified but does not post, within 10 business days, the court-ordered security plus the costs reasonably incurred by the governmental animal control agency or humane society for housing and caring for the animal since its seizure, then the animal is deemed to have been abandoned and is forfeited to the governmental animal control agency or humane society for disposition. This bill removes these provisions as well.

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged. TENNESSEE ACTION ALERT HB 386 Commercial Breeder Act introduced by Rep. Janis Sontany (D, Nashville) is scheduled to be heard in the Judiciary Committee on 4/29. BILL SYNOPSIS HB 386 classifies as a commercial breeder any person who possesses or maintains twenty (20) or more adult female dogs in whole or in part for the purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals. Requires background checks before license can be granted. Although not written in the bill, it has been confirmed that engineering standards will be used for facilities. * TALKING POINTS * * HB 386 assumes that an owner of 20 or more dogs or cats isn?t capable of managing and maintaining their animals in good health without state intervention. Numerical limits should not be used as the basis of legislation as numbers do not equate to the level of care a dog or cat receives. * HB 386 calls for high license fees that could be easily increased. * Background checks are required in order to obtain a license, treating dog/cat breeders as if they are potential criminals. * It is already law that sales tax must be collected on puppy sales; creating and funding a huge regulatory scheme on breeders in order to collect tax is unnecessary and extreme. * Enforcement of existing tax law and animal welfare laws are sufficient and new laws are not needed. * Tennessee is facing a billion dollar budget shortfall. It is irresponsible to add approximately six million dollars to the budget to fund an inspection program that might cover a few hundred dog breeders. ACTION NEEDED NOW! PLEASE CALL, FAX, AND EMAIL HOUSE JUSTICE COMMITTEE AND OPPOSE HB 386: Rep. Kent Coleman (D, 49) - Chair Phone (615) 741-6829 / Fax (615) 253-0332 rep.kent.coleman@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Jon Lundberg (R, Bristol) - Vice Chair Phone (615) 741-7623 / Fax (615) 253-0272 rep.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Eddie Bass (D, 65) Phone (615) 741-1864 / Fax (615) 741-1005 rep.eddie.bass@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Karen D. Camper (D, 87) Phone (901) 315-8899 Phone: (615) 741-1898 rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Vance Dennis (R, 71) Phone: (615) 741-2190 / Fax: (615) 253-0377 rep.vance.dennis@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Henry Fincher (D,42) Vice Chair Phone (615) 741-1875 rep.henry.fincher@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Brian Kelsey (R,83), Chair Phone (901) 522-9000 Phone (615) 741-4415 / Fax (615) 253-0349 rep.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Mike Stewart (D, 52) Phone: (615) 741-2184 rep.mike.stewart@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Chad Faulkner (R, 36) Phone: (615) 741-3335 rep.chad.faulkner@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Judd Matheny (R, 47) Phone (615) 741-7448 / Fax (615) 253-0226 rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Eric Watson (R, 22) Phone (615) 741-7799 / Fax (615) 253-0252 rep.eric.watson@capitol.tn.gov Additional talking points and contact information are available on the SAOVA website http://www.saova.org/Tennessee2.html Please share this message widely. Susan WolfSportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance - http://saova.org

THE MAY MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY EVENING MAY 5, 2009 Our guest speaker will be BATFE Resident Agent in Charge Steven Cordle +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Monthly meetings are held at The IHOP restaurant in front of Lowes, on Chapman Highway at the intersection of John Sevier Highway in South Knoxville. A pre-meeting social hour is from 6 PM to 7 pm during which you may wish to eat dinner either from the menu or from the buffet. The meeting will begin at 7 PM and end at 8 PM. Participation by those in attendance is always encouraged. Gun owners, persons involved in the shooting sports, Second Amendment supporters and interested public are urged to attend, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER TO ATTEND. For more information contact: Bill Noll; wsnoll@comcast.net 865-688-0321 or Charlie Thoms; Cthoms43@aol.com 865-233-4561

<!--StartFragment -->USA Buys Enough Guns to Outfit the Entire Chinese USA Buys Enough Guns in 3 Months to Outfit the Entire Chinese and Indian Army Law abiding US citizens bought on average 3,177,256 guns every 3 months in 2008. EveryTown, USA - -(AmmoLand.com)- In just 3 months Americans bought enough guns to outfit the entire Chinese and Indian army’s combined. You also bought 1,529,635,000 rounds of ammunition in just the month of December 2008. Yeah that is right, that is Billion with a “B”. This is an evaluation of overall firearms and ammunition purchases based on low end numbers per Federal NIC instacheck data base Statistics. The numbers presented are only PART of the overall numbers of arms and ammunition that have been sold. The actual numbers are much higher.

You are correct sir, done by change in DoI rules. NRA thinks President Bush supported this change: "So it made perfect sense when the Bush administration recently supported a change to a Department of Interior ruling that now allows these people to carry their loaded firearms in national parks." NRA-ILA :: Park Raving Mad

I heard her and she didn't apologised. She said if any veterans were offended they should be offered an apology, she didn't make one.

President Bush signed an Executive Order allowing those with carry permits to do so in National Parks. The Brady bunch got an injunction because there wasn't an environmental impact study for this. As I recall the court has directed the Department of the Interior to provide the impact study by a specific date (don't remember when). Need to have our Federal Senators/Representatives to tell the DoI to do the study so the EO can then be effective.

<!--StartFragment -->We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments. 9th circuit court of appeals Apr 20, 2009 <!--StartFragment -->http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2009/04/20/0715763.pdf This is quite long ergo I didn't paste and copy.

JOHN LOTT: ABC’s Shameful ‘20/20′ Experiment <!-- --><!-- by --> By John R. Lott, Jr. Gun control advocates look desperate. Last Friday night, on April 10, ABC aired a heavily promoted, hour long “20/20″ special called “If I Only Had a Gun.†It is ABC’s equivalent of NBC’s infamous exploding gas tanks in General Motors pickups where NBC rigged the truck to explode. With legislation in Texas and Missouri advancing to eliminate gun-free zones at universities, perhaps this response isn’t surprising. The show started and ended by claiming that allowing potential victims to carry guns would not help keep them safe –- not even with hundreds of hours of practice firing guns. No mention was made of the actual multiple victim public shootings stopped by people with concealed handguns nor did they describe who actually carried out such shootings. Instead, ABC presented a rigged experiment where one student in a classroom had a gun. But sometimes even the best editors can’t hide everything the camera sees. The experiment was set up to make the student fail. It did not resemble a real-world shooting. The same scenario is shown three times, but in each case the student with the gun is seated in the same seat –- the center seat in the front row. The attacker is not only a top-notch shooter –- a firearms expert who teaches firearms tactics and strategy to police -– but also obviously knows precisely where the student with the gun is sitting. Each time the experiment is run, the attacker first fires two shots at the teacher in the front of the class and then turns his gun directly on the very student with the gun. The attacker wastes no time trying to gun down any of the unarmed students. Thus, very unrealistically, between the very first shot setting the armed student on notice and the shots at the armed student, there is at most 2 seconds. The armed student is allowed virtually no time to react and, unsurprisingly, fails under the same circumstances that would have led even experienced police officers to fare poorly. But in the real world, a typical shooter is not a top-notch firearms expert and has no clue about whether or not anyone might be armed and, if so, where they are seated. If you have 50 people –- a pretty typical college classroom –- and he is unknown to the attacker, the armed student is given a tremendous advantage. Actually, if the experiment run by “20/20″ seriously demonstrated anything, it highlighted the problem of relying on uniformed police or security guards for safety: the killer instantly knows whom to shoot first. Yet, in the ABC experiment, the purposefully disadvantaged students are not just identified and facing (within less than 2 seconds) an attacker whose gun is already drawn. They are also forced to wear unfamiliar gloves, a helmet, and a holster. This only adds to the difficulties the students face in handling their guns. (more at link JOHN LOTT: ABC’s Shameful ‘20/20′ Experiment FOX Forum FOXNews.com

<!--StartFragment -->Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc. Legislative Action Committee <HR>The Senate took up the restaurant bill on April 16. SB1127 / HB0962 passed the Senate on a vote of 26-7 without the House restrictions. Senators voting NO on restaurant bill were Berke, Burke, Harper, Haynes, Henry, Kyle and Marrerro. http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1127 The debate starts in the Senate video at 54:00 minutes. I want to encourage everyone to watch it, its only about 20 minutes but you get a real flavor for the excellent job done on this topic by Senator Doug Jackson and the nature of the arguments opposing us from such Senators as Marrero, Haynes, and Henry. The effect of this change is to send the bill back to the House for further action which may include adoption, rejection, further amendment and/or sending it to a conference committee. It is time to put the pressue on the HOUSE to full accept and adopt the Senate's action on HB0962. <!--StartFragment -->John Harris Executive Director

Precisely. How many straws to break the camel's back? No one wants to be reported to their monitoring agency even if that agency doesn't take immediate action. If there are no complaints then TPTB think no one objects.

Just because your paranoid doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you. ::tries to stop the twitching and adjusts the tinfoil::

+1

These bills affects those that breed hunting dogs. - Tim Oppose HB 386 and SB 258 The Tennessee Legislature is considering two bills this session that would set up a state licensing system for commercial breeders. The identical bills entitled “Commercial Breeder Act†are HB 386, sponsored by Representative Sontany, and SB 258, sponsored by Senator Jackson. The House bill has just passed the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Practice and Procedure and the Senate bill is being considered by the Senate Commerce Labor and Agriculture. HB 386 passed the subcommittee without amendments and must now be evaluated by the full Judiciary Committee before proceeding to a House vote. In some significant ways, these bills resemble HSUS supported anti-breeder legislation that has shown up in several other states so far this year. The Tennessee Commercial Breeder Act: -Applies to dogs and cats. -Defines a commercial breeder as anyone who possesses or maintains 20 or more adult female dogs “in whole or in part for the purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animalsâ€. -Limits the number of dogs/cats a commercial breeder can maintain to 75 unsterilized “companion animals†over the age of 6 month. -Requires annual licensing of commercial breeders and sets up a fee structure of $500 per year for those owning 20-40 adult companion animals, and $1000 per year for those owning 41-75. -Empowers the Commissioner of Agriculture to grant licenses, oversee compliance with standards, rules and regulations, and suspend licenses for non-compliance or cruelty. Breeder will be given a 10-day written notice of suspensions and may be granted a hearing to contest. Violations would constitute a Class B misdemeanor punishable by fine only. -Licenses will only be granted to applicants of “good moral character†after a criminal background check and inspection of the premises. -Allows commercial breeder premises and records to be inspected at all reasonable times by the Commissioner, a representative of the Commissioner, or a legally constituted law enforcement agency. -Requires commercial breeders to file semi-annual reports on the number of dogs/cats in their possession, the number of dogs/cats sold including the names and addresses of who purchased them, and the number of dogs/cats received by the breeder that were not purchased including the names and addresses of who they obtained them from. -Grants the Commissioner authority to confiscate animals for failure to license and hand them over to local or federal animal welfare agencies or humane organization, like ASPCA or HSUS, and order the breeder to pay a security bond that could be transferred to the agency/organization for the cost of care. -Subjects violators to a fine of $1000 per animal sold, offered or advertised without a license. While steps should be taken to identify and eliminate substandard kennels, this bill stretches beyond that goal and imposes a licensing system on commercial breeders that could ensnare hobby breeders and sportsmen, while proving virtually unenforceable and ineffective. This Act reads as though its main preoccupation is to introduce a complex layer of state regulation that will generate revenue through licenses and fines, not directly improve actual care and conditions for animals. Many of the definitions provided are unclear and inconsistent and consequently make hobby breeders, trainers, handlers, hunt clubs, boarding kennels and private rescue networks vulnerable to commercial requirements. Oppose number limits, like the 75 intact dog/cat cap contained in this Act, because they are arbitrary, unscientific and have been found to be unenforceable and vulnerable to court challenges. Furthermore, they have never been successful in addressing irresponsible breeding or negligent rescue operations. Limits and caps drive pet owners and breeders underground where they are harder to oversee and prevent abuse. There are more effective solutions available to help eliminate substandard kennels, from greater enforcement of existing anti-cruelty and nuisance laws to educating consumers about how to seek out responsible and humane sources of healthy pets. Please take a moment to send an email or call your senator and representative, using the talking points below, letting them know that you oppose these bills. Politely explain that this legislation misses the mark. Offer your expertise as a Tennessee resident with hands-on animal experience who they can rely on instead of an out of state organization for their information about pet issues. Let them know that responsible Tennessee breeders -- dedicated dog and cat lovers with great subject matter expertise and experience raising, breeding, placing, rescuing and training pets -- are ready to share our knowledge and offer these alternative solutions to more effectively and reasonably address concerns about animal welfare.

We should have pushed for it to read that it was legal to carry in city parks unless the local governments opted out.

Tony is a long time NRA member and very pro gun. Was one of my most active volunteers in the 1st District when I was the NRA-ILA EVC for TN 1.

That letter generator has yet to be moved to TFA's new web site.