GUNS IN BARS?
Red Bank Mayor Joe Glasscock said commissioners also planned to opt out of a law allowing guns in bars if the Tennessee Municipal League allows it. “This thing is so new, it’s very confusing. If we’re wrong, they’ll slap our hands, I guess,” he said.
Officials in Chattanooga and Red Bank want their parks to remain gun free, they decided Tuesday.
The Chattanooga City Council and the Red Bank Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to support a present ordinance and a resolution, respectively, banning guns from all local parks within city limits.
“I think we need to go on record saying, ‘We’re against guns in parks,’” Councilwoman Carol Berz said. “Period.”
The moves come just four days after Gov. Phil Bredesen signed a bill into law allowing concealed carry gun permit holders to take firearms into local parks unless those jurisdictions opt out.
Red Bank Mayor Joe Glasscock said the board was approving a resolution that city attorney Arnold Stulce would draft in the next several weeks, opting out of what he called a “careless law.”
“It’s our firm belief that there’s no place for (guns in parks) in Red Bank,” the mayor said.
At the end of the Chattanooga meeting, Parks and Recreation Administrator Larry Zehnder told council members that the County Commission would meet today to discuss guns in local parks.
“It would be great if the City Council could pass a motion affirming that you do not want guns in our parks as well,” he said. “I think it would be a great symbol for the County Commission.”
Council Chairman Jack Benson immediately agreed.
“We don’t want a day to go by that we’re in limbo,” he said.
But not everyone agreed with Tuesday’s unanimous decisions. Red Bank resident David McGlumphy said he wanted to be able to exercise his right to defend himself.
“What is the response time when you call the local police?” he asked commissioners. “I’m guessing it’s more than a matter of seconds.”
Chattanooga Councilman Peter Murphy asked if the present ordinance could suffice or if another ordinance needed to be passed. There also were questions over whether the council would have to pass another ordinance after July 1, which is when the bill becomes law.
Ms. Berz said the details could wait.
“What he’s asking for is that we go on record saying we don’t want guns in our parks,” she said.
She made a motion, and Councilman Russell Gilbert Jr. seconded it. The vote was unanimous, with Councilwoman Sally Robinson absent because of illness.
But afterward, some confusion remained about whether the vote, which was neither a resolution nor an ordinance, could be binding. Mr. Murphy said Interim City Attorney Mike McMahan would read the bill and discuss it with the council at a later date.
Other local municipalities have not yet decided whether to opt out of the guns-in-parks law. Honna Rogers, Signal Mountain’s city manager, said the Town Council was very interested in keeping guns out of local parks. She expected council members to vote on a resolution at their meeting in July or August, she said.
The Wolftever Creek Greenway is the only park in Collegedale that would be affected by the new law, Mayor John Turner said. City officials had not yet discussed how they will handle the guns-in-parks legislation, he said.
Messages left for officials in East Ridge and Soddy-Daisy were not returned Tuesday.
Kelli Gauthier covers K-12 education in Hamilton County for the Times Free Press. She started at the paper as an intern in 2006, crisscrossing the region writing feature stories from Pikeville, Tenn., to Lafayette, Ga. She also covered crime and courts before taking over the education beat in 2007. A native of Frederick, Md., Kelli came south to attend Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. Before newspapers, ...
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
Red Bank should follow Chattanooga more often in their decision making. I am surprised Red Bank did not proprose an ordinance that gun are mandated in parks.
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