NASHVILLE – Gov. Phil Bredesen says the “guns-in-bars” bill he voted today is in an “even more expansive and dangerous form” than the “reckless” version he vetoed a year ago.
In a veto message sent to House Speaker Kent Williams and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, Gov. Bredesen said “a successful court challenge to last year’s actions provided the General Assembly with a second opportunity to reconsider and adopt a more responsible approach to this issue.
“Instead,” he said, “the General Assembly has essentially re-passed last year’s legislation in an even more expansive and dangerous form. For this reason, I cannot sign it into law.”
He said he is “well aware” of the majorities the bill received this year, “but as you consider this veto, I again respectively urge the legislature to rethink this issue.”
The governor repeated his statement last year that he was taught in gun-safety classes that “guns and alcohol don’t mix.”