According to Firearm Chronicles
Lawmakers in Tennessee continued their work on two big pieces of pro-Second Amendment legislation this week, with House committees giving the nod to a permit-less carry bill and a campus carry measure as well, but not without some controversy. During testimony on HB 2817, the permit-less carry bill, both Second Amendment advocates and gun control activists raised objections to the current language, though for very different reasons. “I’ve got some pretty good news for the folks who just testified before me [against the bill], because this is not true constitutional carry,” DJ Parten, the southeast regional director for the National Association for Gun Rights, said during testimony Tuesday in front of the House Judiciary Committee. “… True constitutional carry is simple and straightforward: If you can legally possess a firearm, you should legally be able to carry it openly or concealed without a permit.” Parten said HB 2817 would put Tennessee behind other permit-less carry states because it ties the right to carry to the ability to get a permit rather than tying it to the ability to possess a firearm. He said this could cause confusion among gun owners and could land otherwise law abiding citizens in jail for misunderstanding the law. If lawmakers made this change, he said NAGR would fully support the bill.