NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – It was supposed to be a welcoming gift from Tennessee lawmakers to the National Rifle Association and the more than 70,000 gun enthusiasts expected to attend the group’s annual convention in Nashville this weekend.
But a bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to be armed in all of the state’s parks – including greenways, playgrounds and sports fields – has gotten tied up amid bickering between Republicans who control both the state House and Senate.
A law enacted in 2009 to allow guns in Tennessee parks included an opt-out provision for city and county governments, and more than 70 communities initially decided to keep their gun bans in place.
Opponents argued the law creates confusion for permit holders about where they can legally be armed, and a bill was introduced seeking to end the exemption. The original version included an unusual twist: An effective date of April 6, which happened to be the Monday before the NRA’s annual convention.
House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, acknowledged that the measure had been timed to welcome the powerful gun lobby’s convention.