A spokesman for the Gun Owners of America discusses a recent decision in Tennessee, and how an appeal against it brings up questionable reasoning.
It was just last week when a Tennessee court handed a major victory to gun owners, doing away with the state’s unconstitutional “Going Armed” and “Parks” statutes, believing them to be unfair. That said, however, some officials believe they deserved an appeal.
Just days after the laws were struck down, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti felt the need to file an appeal for the case, stating that, if the ruling against the laws were to stand, they would create “unnecessary confusion and risk.”
Back on August 22nd, the court deemed that the two Tennessee gun laws were “unconstitutional, void and of no effect,” particularly with the Going Armed rule that made it a crime to carry a firearm in self-defense. Likewise, the Parks statute banned being able to lawfully carry a firearm in federal, state or local parks.
With the doing away of these laws, the state was providing rights to those that practice Constitutional-Carry, or Concealed-Carry, for the sake of protection against criminals.
So…why would Tennessee officials fight to have them put back into place, believing that “unnecessary confusion and risk” is fair reasoning?
A spokesman for the Gun Owners of America joins us now to discuss the struck down laws, and what may be the reasoning behind the appeal. Either Stephen Willeford or Mark Jones join us to discuss the situation further. We welcome them to the show!
Q&A:
- How big of a win is it to see the Going Armed and Parks statutes knocked down by the Tennessee court?
- Why do you believe that Constitutional-Carry – or Concealed-Carry – is such a necessity in today’s world?
- What about those that would argue that allowing Concealed-Carry would be “dangerous”?
- Why do you think Tennessee officials are trying to appeal the gun laws being struck down? And, for that matter, using the excuse that their removal would create “unnecessary confusion and risk”?
- Where do you see the discussion surrounding gun rights going as the year comes to a close? Do you think more states will try to put unnecessary gun laws into effect?
- The Gun Owners of America recently hosted a GOALS 2025 event. Tell us more about it, and what you have planned for the next show.
- FOR STEPHEN: You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- FOR STEPHEN: Where can people find your book?
- You can purchase the book here on Amazon, both in paperback and Kindle format.
- FOR MARK: Tell us more about the Hunter Outreach program.
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Mark Jones…
Mark Jones serves as a National Director and National Spokesperson for Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF).
Mark, a Certified Wildlife Biologist® for three decades, began working for Gun Owners of America over four years ago after retiring from government service where he had 30 years of experience performing wildlife research, publishing peer-reviewed scientific papers, managing wildlife resources, working with hunters and recreational shooters, supervising and mentoring other professionals, and engaging in legislative issues and governmental policy.
In 2021, Mark founded and currently leads Gun Owners of America’s National Hunter Outreach Program known as Second Amendment Hunters. The Program’s mission is to engage and involve America’s 16 million+ hunters in the political fight to protect the Second Amendment and the American hunting traditions.
Mark focuses on two primary areas: 1) GOA’s core mission of protecting and defending the Second Amendment through rigorous Legislative and Judicial actions, and 2) developing Second Amendment Hunters (SAH) into a national leader in protecting American hunting opportunities and traditions at the federal and state levels.
Mark’s responsibilities allow him to work to protect Second Amendment Rights and hunting traditions in Washington D.C., state capitals across the Country, and in the capital of his home state of Wyoming.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
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