(FixThisNation.com) – A newly proposed bill would expand Tennessee’s concealed carry laws to include all types of firearms. This has led to many concerns of safety from law enforcement agencies across the state.
House Bill 1005 is being pushed by State Republicans who are looking to change the term “handgun” to “firearm.” This would increase the types of guns that citizens would be allowed to carry in public and would allow them to carry semi-automatic weapons.
However, the bill has caused quite a stir following a subcommittee hearing with officials from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and the Tennessee Highway Patro. Officials from the two agencies have argued that the increase in the types of concealed firearms that citizens are allowed to carry would lead to serious safety threats to law enforcement officers who would need to openly deal with people carrying “any kind of rifle or high capacity” weapon.
On Tuesday, THP Colonel Matt Perry noted that just because people have the constitutional right to carry arms they were not allowed to ask why they had the gun, who they are, or what they planned on doing with it. Instead, they will have to sit and wait until things transpire. Perry argued that it will mean that they can only be “extremely reactionary” and he argued that in many cases they will not have the necessary firepower to match what is occurring. He then questioned the subcommittee on what actions can be taken to mitigate this.
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