A spokesman for the Gun Owners of America discusses the recent results of a case in Tennessee, and why the fight isn’t over just yet.
While the recent death of Charlie Kirk has still left quite an impact on this country, one thing is certain – the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms is still as strong as ever.
And that was proven recently with a victory in Tennessee surrounding the case of Hughes v. Lee, in which the court decided to known down the state’s unconstitutional “Going Armed” and “Parks” statutes. These were put in place that would restrict anyone’s ability to carry within the state, a necessary protection considering the growing criminal element within the country.
Following the court victory, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti asked to keep the laws in effect while he filed his appeal, to which they promptly refused. Another win, but the fight isn’t over yet, as Skrmetti opted to file his appeal anyway.
Though the court has not yet decided on the fate of his appeal, the Gun Owners of America have called for its supporters to urge Skrmetti to simply drop it. “Your rights remain protected today because the court refused to let these unconstitutional laws linger during the appeals process; that’s a major victory, but it’s not the end of the fight. Attorney General Skrmetti is still pressing forward with his appeal, and if he is successful these restrictions could return. We cannot allow that to happen,” the group noted in a press release.
A spokesman for the group – either Mark Jones or Stephen Willeford – joins us now to discuss this victory further, and why Skrmetti opposes it so much. We welcome them to the show.
Q&A:
- Why were these rules put into place in Tennessee to begin with? Were state legislators really that concerned about gun violence?
- How pleased were you with the court’s decision to knock down these statures? Do you think the court wasted any time in seeing how wrong they were for gun owners?
- Why does Skrmetti keep fighting against the decision? Is he really that firm a believer in what the statures stood for, instead of giving his citizens the freedom they deserve?
- Do you believe anything will come from his appeal? Or is the court likely to dismiss it as quickly as it did the two gun laws that were in effect?
- Where do you see the battle over gun laws going in the months ahead, especially with the recent death of Charlie Kirk?
- 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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