NASHVILLE — Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, says he will introduce a bill granting immunity and personal liability for Tennessee National Guard members now able to go armed after the July 16 attacks in Chattanooga.
“Our Tennessee National Guardsmen have become targets of terrorists as demonstrated by the tragic events in Chattanooga,” said Briggs, a retired U.S. Army colonel with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The intent of the bill, he said in his news release, “is to provide the service member legal cover in defending him or herself and others during a terrorist attack.
“I believe my fellow Tennesseans and state legislators will agree this protection is necessary for our Guardsmen,” Briggs added.
Richard BriggsDuring his shooting rampage, Mohammed Youssef Abdulazeez first attacked a U.S. military recruiting center in a strip mall off Lee Highway with semi-automatic weapons. Next door was a Tennessee National Guard recruiting station.