Tennessee House OKs bill to allow gun permit holders to be armed in parks

Tennessee state capitol
Tennessee state capitol

NASHVILLE -- Legislation overruling local bans on guns in parks, public playgrounds and ball fields passed the House on a 65-21 vote Monday night after a lengthy debate.

The bill is scheduled to come up Wednesday on the Senate floor, which unlike the House has passed similar legislation in the past. It would apply to people with state-issued handgun carry permits.

House Democrats lobbed a series of amendments on the bill, all of them failing, including a ban on guns in parks on Sundays.

"What is more important?" asked Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, who unsuccessfully pushed another amendment that would have banned guns during religious-related events including baptisms, marriages, Christmas and Hannukah lighting ceremonies. "Is a gun more important for you than these other things?"

Rep. Tilman Goins, R-Morristown, countered with a Nashville television news station's account of a rape in a Nashville park.

"It's not about aggression, it's about protection," Goins said.

Upcoming Events