NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After the Tennessee legislature ended its 113th General Assembly, Governor Bill Lee announced that he would call a special session to pass legislation "that will strengthen public safety and preserve constitutional rights."
According to the release from his office, more details on the special session and an official call to it would be available soon.
He also released a statement about the proposed special session. That statement is available below.
“After much input from members of the General Assembly and discussions with legislative leadership, we have decided to call a special session to continue our work to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights,” said Gov. Lee. “There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons. We also share a strong commitment to preserving Second Amendment rights, ensuring due process and addressing the heart of the problem with strengthened mental health resources. I look forward to continued partnership with the General Assembly as we pursue thoughtful, practical solutions to keep Tennesseans safe.”
During the 113th General Assembly, he asked lawmakers to consider a proposal that would create a "temporary mental health order of protection." That proposal would have allowed law enforcement agencies to ask courts for permission to require people they prove to be a danger to themselves or others to dispossess their guns.
The House Democratic Caucus released a statement about the proposal. It is available below.
“I appreciate the Governor finally engaging on this important issue, but Lee has unsurprisingly handed us a watered down bill. It reads as if he is more concerned about getting all 75 Republicans’ votes on a bill than effectively protecting children and Tennessee families from gun violence. Tennesseans deserve leadership and courage on this issue from their elected leaders. Unfortunately, neither are coming from the other side of the aisle, and they should be held accountable for that.”
Representative Jeremy Faison (R - Cosby), the Tennessee Republican Caucus chair also released a statement about the proposal. It is below.
We are always grateful for legislation the Governor brings us to consider. However, this late in the game, it is simply not possible for us to properly consider and debate legislation of this magnitude in the few days remaining of this session.
I have encouraged Gov. Lee to create a task force with parents, teachers, law enforcement, mental health, local officials, state officials, and other qualified stakeholders to work over the next several weeks and produce legislation for Tennessee that we can be proud of. Then, we should come back to properly debate and consider the legislation produced in the People’s House.