Legislative leaders say they are preparing to end the long-standing ban on firearms inside parts of the Capitol, following years of frequent criticism that they’ve been hypocritical by allowing guns in more places but not on Capitol Hill.
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says he and his House counterpart, Beth Harwell, have been discussing changing the legislature’s gun policy since the fall. He hopes to take down gun-ban notices within the next few weeks, citing recent testimony that places that don’t allow guns are more dangerous.
“There is [a] proven statistic, undisputable, that if gun-carry permit holders are allowed into a facility, that it is safer, not less safe,” the Blountville Republican said.
Some lawmakers do dispute that claim. They worry about the presence of firearms in crowded, sometimes testy, legislative buildings.
“Democrats represent 31 members, and to our knowledge, none of us were consulted,” Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris, D-Memphis, said in a statement released Thursday. “We are responsible for our staff and our families and invited guests.”
Tennessee law gives legislative leaders the discretion to ban or allow in guns as they see fit — the same as any business owner. The main hang-up, says Ramsey, is the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which runs security at the legislature. Officers are still trying to come up with a procedure to screen gun owners and make sure they have carry permits.
The new policy would apply to committee rooms and legislative offices — but not the official chambers of the House and Senate. Those are in the Tennessee Capitol itself, where Gov. Bill Haslam‘s administration has the final say over security.
Ramsey says that’s been one complication. Legislative offices are connected to the Capitol by an underground walkway. State troopers would need to set up a checkpoint to keep gun owners from carrying their weapons through that tunnel.
Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for Haslam, says the governor favors keeping guns out of the Capitol. What’s more, the Haslam administration believes Ramsey and Harwell can’t even make that decision. The Department of General Services has oversight for the entire Capitol complex, including legislative offices.
Donnals says the governor is willing to discuss the “logistical questions and complicating practical implications” of allowing guns in the legislature “but feels strongly that guns are not carried in the Capitol.”
“This is a secure building with state troopers and metal detectors,” she says.
But Ramsey isn’t backing down either. A spokesman for the senator responded in an email:
“The General Assembly is a distinct and separate branch of state government. The two speakers maintain control over legislative facilities. That has been the case for decades and remains the case today.”
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM