Gun-rights advocates celebrated victories in the state legislature Monday that would allow them to carry handguns more places while making it harder to find out if they have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
The House voted 83-12 Monday to close handgun permit records except to law enforcement in an investigation, determining the validity of a permit or for child support enforcement. Those records are now open to the public.
The vote came after legislators in a joint committee reached an agreement on a bill to allow concealed carry permit holders to bring their handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol with no curfew restrictions.
The House version of the bill would have banned guns from age-restricted establishments such as bars and from all restaurants that serve drinks from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The conference committee recommended a Senate version that does not include those restrictions.
If the new version of the bill becomes law, it would go into effect June 1. The House is scheduled to consider the committee's recommendation Thursday. Gov. Phil Bredesen has not said whether he would sign the bill; in Tennessee only a simple majority is needed to override a veto.
Under the committee's recommendation, restaurant owners still could post signs saying guns are not allowed there.
"It's the most practical way to address the concerns of both permit and property holders," said Nashville attorney John I. Harris III, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.
Harris supported the bill without the time or age restrictions.
Metro police and other law enforcement agencies have indicated they don't like the bill, saying that guns and alcohol don't mix. The state's restaurant association also has opposed the bill.
Collierville Republican Rep. Curry Todd, the bill's sponsor, previously had supported the curfew on the House floor and had protested an amendment to remove the curfew earlier in the session.
Todd, who chaired the conference committee, voted for the bill without the curfew Monday. The House negotiating panel voted 3-2 to adopt the Senate version of the bill.
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"I went back and reviewed my actions, and I thought this was a better scenario for the handgun carry permit holders in Tennessee than the previous version," Todd told reporters after the meeting.
The availability of the public handgun permit records has come under fire this session after The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis published the names of handgun permit holders in an online database.
Advocates for keeping the records public argue they allow media outlets to report on handgun permits that should not have been issued, including a 2008 Tennessean analysis that found the state had renewed permits for almost 200 felons. Anyone convicted of a felony is prohibited from owning firearms unless the person gets their rights restored in court.
"We've attempted to make our case for why the records should remain open, that there are public safety issues involved here but those arguments have not carried the day," said Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
Harris said he supported a bill requiring stricter oversight by the Department of Safety to determine if Tennesseans charged with felonies had handgun carry permits.
"We need to try to have the state process fixed so that it works consistently and predictably and timely, rather than to have occasional news reports discover omissions," Harris said.
Under the bill, permit information would become publicly available only if presented as evidence in a criminal court or a child support hearing. The bill would still allow the Department of Safety to report how many permits had been issued and revoked, along with the ZIP codes where such actions occurred.
The Senate version of the bill is in the chamber's calendar committee and will likely go to the Senate floor later in the session.
"I went back and reviewed my actions, and I thought this was a better scenario for the handgun carry permit holders in Tennessee than the previous version," Todd told reporters after the meeting.
The availability of the public handgun permit records has come under fire this session after The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis published the names of handgun permit holders in an online database.
Advocates for keeping the records public argue they allow media outlets to report on handgun permits that should not have been issued, including a 2008 Tennessean analysis that found the state had renewed permits for almost 200 felons. Anyone convicted of a felony is prohibited from owning firearms unless the person gets their rights restored in court.
"We've attempted to make our case for why the records should remain open, that there are public safety issues involved here but those arguments have not carried the day," said Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
Harris said he supported a bill requiring stricter oversight by the Department of Safety to determine if Tennesseans charged with felonies had handgun carry permits.
"We need to try to have the state process fixed so that it works consistently and predictably and timely, rather than to have occasional news reports discover omissions," Harris said.
Under the bill, permit information would become publicly available only if presented as evidence in a criminal court or a child support hearing. The bill would still allow the Department of Safety to report how many permits had been issued and revoked, along with the ZIP codes where such actions occurred.
The Senate version of the bill is in the chamber's calendar committee and will likely go to the Senate floor later in the session.
