Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, a Republican, on Monday refused to certify a gun control vote put forward by the Memphis City Council.
On July 24, 2024, Breitbart News reported that the Memphis City Council approved a referendum that would allow city residents to choose whether to implement gun restrictions, such as a citywide “assault weapons” ban, a constitutional ban on firearm possession, and red flag laws.
WREG Reported Approval of the referendum means the gun restrictions will be on the Nov. 5 ballot and, if passed, will be added as an amendment to the city charter.
Gun control includes:
- No person may carry a handgun within the City of Memphis unless he or she possesses a valid handgun concealment permit.
- Within the City of Memphis, no person may carry, store or transport a handgun in a vehicle unless he or she possesses a valid handgun permit.
- It is unlawful for a person to store a firearm (whether loaded or unloaded) or firearm ammunition in a motor vehicle or boat when the person is not in the motor vehicle or boat, unless the firearm or firearm ammunition is stored out of ordinary view and is locked in a trunk, utility box, glove box, or a locked container that is securely fastened to the motor vehicle or boat.
- The Citizens of Memphis recognize and declare that the proliferation and use of assault weapons poses a threat to the health, safety and security of all Memphians.
- Going forward, it will be unlawful and prohibited for anyone to own or carry an assault rifle openly or concealed within the City of Memphis. Persons with valid handgun permits are exempt from this restriction when owning or carrying an assault rifle on private property or at a shooting range.
- Going forward, the commercial sale of assault rifles will be illegal and prohibited within the city of Memphis.
When the City Council approved the referendum, Breitbart News noted that it would face an uphill battle in court due to state gun laws that prohibit local governments from enacting stricter gun restrictions than those currently in place at the state level.
Commercial appeal Reported “Common sense tells us that local governments cannot ignore state law by giving driver's licenses to 12-year-olds, or ignore other state laws,” Hargett said in rejecting the referendum.
He added, “Memphis does not have the authority to circumvent state law, and officials will not approve a ballot that includes items that are already preempted by state law.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the author and curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is a political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the Global Marketing Director for Lone Star Hunts. He was a visiting scholar at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and earned his PhD in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: FollowYou can subscribe to Downrange at breitbart.com/downrange . To contact me directly, please email awrhawkins@breitbart.com
