Kentucky passes permitless carry; Tennessee still tarries

Governor Matt Bevin has signed permit-less carry (AKA Constitutional Carry) into law in Kentucky. This brings to sixteen the number of states that have done so.

Boundary marker between Tennessee and Kentucky
Liston Matthews photo

What does this mean. I read the bill, and it appears that anyone who may legally own a firearm may legally carry a firearm in Kentucky. So, if you are on the other (North) side of the boundary stone pictured, the Second Amendment is your carry permit. according to WKYT, the law becomes effective June 26. 2019.

On the other hand, if you are on this side of that big rock, you  are in Tennessee,
and you are allowed by your master, the State, to carry a firearm (sans permit) in your car. But if you decide to step out of your car, however, to pump gas, run into a convenience store, or enter a restaurant with your handgun in tow, you become a lawbreaker! This year, no one in the state legislature even bothered to introduce a bill to begin this Second Amendment restoration process.

Having followed the legislative process for several decades, I have seen the same tired arguments; first against carry permits, as there was a nationwide movement toward shall issue permits, then against permit-less carry in more recent years.

The arguments go something like this*:

• There will be blood running in the streets.
• We (the police) won't know who the bad guys are.
• You need to have training before you are allowed to carry a gun.

Well, facts are stubborn things. Since the roll-out of carry permits beginning in the late 1980's, the most blood in the streets has been shed by criminal actors. Many of these feral humans are a product of our sport fishing criminal justice system.

The easy way for the the police to identify the bad guys is to look for the ones that are shooting at them. In traffic stops, any officer who doesn't consider every encounter to be with an armed individual needs to have a reality check.

Regarding requiring training. The simple but non PC answer is to make firearms safety training mandatory for all middle-school students unless their parents specifically ask for an exemption. Worthy of note, too, is the fact that Georgia issues permits without any required training.

If anyone in the Tennessee General Assembly is truly interested in an honest look at the state or federal constitutions, vis-a-vis firearms bills, they should ask, "Has increasing restrictions on peaceable citizens reduced crime in other states, or has loosening restrictions in other states increased crime?" An honest answer would be a resounding NO!

It's time for Tennessee to step up!

*I am sure readers can name more...