Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike McWherter stopped by Chattanooga on Saturday morning and said he would veto any bill abolishing gun permits if he is elected governor.
McWherter said he wanted to “raise awareness” about his GOP opponent Bill Haslam’s willingness to sign a bill doing away with permits.
“The concept that people could carry weapons into malls and sporting events is frightening to me,” McWherter said.
On Monday, Bill Haslam told the Tennessee Firearms Association that he would sign a bill changing the permit laws. Haslam’s campaign released a statement saying he supports the current permitting law but said he would sign a bill doing away with it “if the Legislature decided that was the best course.”
According to TFA Executive Director John Harris, the change would make Tennessee’s law similar to those in three other states: Vermont, Alaska and Arizona.
McWherter, who said he is a member of the National Rifle Association and an “avid hunter,” jumped on the comments, calling Haslam’s stance a “disturbing development.” He repeated that message Saturday during a news conference in the Clark Building on Market Street.
McWherter said Haslam’s position will enable pro-gun groups to introduce the legislation, which he said will hurt Tennessee’s economic development.
“Companies looking to come to Tennessee are not in favor of this kind of Wild West attitude,” he said.
Not true, said Harris. Any time there’s a proposal to loosen gun restrictions, safety and economics are the go-to arguments, he said.
“You never hear someone say, ‘I’m not going to Vermont because citizens can carry guns without permits,'” he said.
Harris said the Tennessee Firearms Association will not endorse a candidate in the gubernatorial race. If legislation is introduced, he said he would like to see, at a minimum, “optional” permits that would allow people to carry guns into other states.
“We don’t want it to be mandated that we have to have a permit,” he said.
Richard Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said McWherter is jumping on what he sees as a Haslam mistake.
“I think McWherter sees Haslam as having gone too far to the right for the people of Tennessee, who I am confident support Second Amendment rights,” Wilson said, “but may not be willing to go for the idea that people can carry guns everywhere without a permit.
“[McWherter] thinks it’s an issue. I don’t know whether he’s right about that or not.”
Haslam, who also said he is an NRA member, said his focus as governor will not be gun rights.
“As I’ve made clear throughout the campaign, my focus, if elected as governor, will be on creating jobs, improving our schools, and managing an incredibly difficult budget situation through conservative fiscal leadership,” he said.