News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tennessee Senate Panel Delays Gun Enforcement Ban Vote

Tennessee’s Senate Judiciary Committee has narrowly decided to delay voting on a bill seeking to ban the federal enforcement of state firearms laws in order to ask for an opinion from the state's attorney general about whether it would be constitutional.

Republican Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet told the committee on Tuesday her bill would make it a felony for federal agents to enforce gun laws she considers unconstitutional.  Fellow Republican Judiciary Chairman Brian Kelsey of Germantown asked for the delay to determine whether the state has the power to nullify federal laws.

The vote was 5 - 4 to await the opinion from Attorney General Bob Cooper by next week. A similar measure sponsored by Rep. Joe Carr of Murfreesboro has yet to be scheduled for a House hearing.

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.
Related Content