At Least 9 County GOP Executive Committees, County Commissions Issue Resolutions Opposing Red Flag Laws, List Likely To Grow Ahead Of Special Session

May 1, 2023 | Political News

At the end of last week, Governor Lee’s office conveyed that the special session he would be calling for to address public safety in the wake of the Covenant shooting, would likely be delayed. 

Initially, it was anticipated that the special session would convene as early as mid-May. 

Last Friday, Governor Lee’s office said, “We offered the General Assembly a list of potential dates for the special session — from May through August — and based on initial feedback from legislative leadership, it will likely be after July 4,” his office said. “The governor will announce additional details as soon as they become available.”

The possible reason for the delay could be the increasing opposition taking place across the state among county GOP executive committees, and/or county commissions issuing their disapproval via written resolutions. 

As of the printing of this article, resolutions from at least 9 counties (Lewis, Stewart, Jefferson, Claiborne, Williamson, Carter, Grainger, Benton, and Sullivan) expressing their opposition to any laws that would infringe on Tennesseans 2nd Amendment rights have been issued. They all generally contain the same verbiage, and reference the most recent holdings from the Supreme Court on the issue of 2nd Amendment rights, which is the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. V Bruen.