Our idiotic TN Legislature http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
passed a bill last week that would allow anyone with a concealed weapon permit to carry a gun into a restaurant that serves alcohol.
Bill HB0962
http://Wapp.capitol.tn.gov/...
Yes, they did, in their infinite wisdom. (Remember how Robin Williams once said these people are so inbred they are their own fathers?)
There have been stories in the press of the poor folks that could have saved their loved ones if only they had had their guns with them instead of in the glove box of their car.
Blah, blah, blah. I wasn't paying too much attention because this was one of Senator Doug Jacksons pet bills http://www.dougjackson.org/ and he tends to introduce a lot of whacky bills just to please his neighbors from what I can tell.
But the damn thing passed and was sent to the Governor. Bredesen. http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Governor Bredesen is one of the Democratic Governors who is...well...a Republican. So I was thrilled to hear on the radio coming home Tuesday that he had vetoed the bill!
The bill went back to the legislature and they voted to override the veto today. 69 to 27 in the House, 21 to 9 in the Senate.
http://Wapp.capitol.tn.gov/...
The thing that I wondered about during all this was why the need to have a concealed weapon? Why not carry it openly and proudly? At least that way I could see it coming and cross the street and leave the restaurant.
Now, restaurants can choose to serve who they want "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Guns". It will be interesting to see which restaurants restrict guns.
From the Memphis Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/...
Some restaurateurs were also opposed to the bill, saying it would hurt business in an already struggling industry. Randy Rayburn, owner of Nashville's Sunset Grill, posted a sign in his window earlier this week saying "No Guns Ever."
Yea, Randy! I'll be eating at the Sunset Grill!
The bill becomes law July 14th.
Update There may be a loophole from GoldnI
Watch what happens in Metro Council in Nashville over the next few weeks.
Nashville Post is subscription-only, but here's the gist of the article. The state controls licensing for wine and liquor sales, but individual counties control beer licenses. So right now, there's nothing stopping Nashville (and any other city, town, or class B county) from refusing to issue a beer license to restaurants or bars that allow guns. From what I'm hearing, the Metro Council is going to move on this pretty quickly.
And note, this "loophole" was discovered by a permit-holding Republican lawyer. Here in Nashville, EVERYONE is against it. Besides the common sense issues, it's a liability issue for the restaurant owners. You're still not allowed to drink and carry, but what if a restaurant unknowingly serves a carrier, and the carrier then does something crazy? The restaurant could be held liable if they allowed the gun in the first place.
Silence Isn't Golden
by GoldnI on Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 08:03:04 PM PDT
So to contact Metro Council:
http://www.nashville.gov/...
