A report from reader WizardPC:
This is really long because I was taking notes as they were going. Didn’t think it was going to take 2 hours over 2 days
This one is Mae Beavers’ bill that removes the prohibition in state parks. It also makes the default case for local parks that carry would be legal, so cities would have to pass ordinances to prohibit carry. The cities would then need to pay for signage at all points of entry. Sen Beavers said that she didn’t like the local provision but felt it wouldn’t pass without it.
Some highlights from yesterday’s debate:
Mr. Carlton of the State Parks Administration (in uniform, yo!) testified that it’s “not needed” and he’s more than satisfied that the 200 park officers provide adequate security. In fact, he mostly talked about how good the park rangers are. He dismissed any notion that people might, you know, need to protect themselves.
Sen Beavers then asked him if he thought the woman that was raped in Bicentennial Mall was better off unarmed, and he responded that she wasn’t a carry permit holder. Then he told a story about a couple of carry permit holders setting up a makeshift firing range in a state park.
Sen Faulk then displayed a list of “hundreds” of crimes from the TBI in response to Mr. Carlton’s assertion that only 22 crimes against persons committed in state parks. Apparently, domestic violence doesn’t count as a crime against a person.
Then Sen Marrero (in a lovely hat) suggested giving permit holders special baseball caps so that law enforcement could identify them to prevent LEOs from accidentally killing HCPers. Apparently she thinks that LEOs are idiots that shoot at anything that moves.
Sen Doug Jackson a bit later said something along the lines of “your argument is ‘we don’t see the need, so you don’t have a right’.”
Senator Kyle responded with an assertion that Memphis would love to trade their violent crime rate with the park system.
The committee adjourned for the day, which brings us to today:
Sen Beavers started off with a report from US Department of Interior regarding Federal Park Carry. Quotes some stats from there, and says the report states specifically that park rangers cannot possibly be expected to provide adequate personal security
Sen Jackson argues that “we shouldn’t be asking why we should allow park carry, we should be asking why we should restrict it” and no one has provided any evidence.
Sen Kyle responds that the reason that argument exists is because people are saying parks aren’t safe. He then proposed an amendment that would make state parks with more than 50% within urban areas be treated as local parks for purposes of municipalities’ ability to restrict park carry.
Sen Marrero (in another lovely hat) suggests that someone may shoot at a robber and hit someone else. She then talks about in Florida “latin americans fire their guns in the air in celebration, and people get killed.” Then she suggests that HCPers will start “firing in anger” or somesuch.
Kyle’s amendment was tabled, but then he proposed another amendment that would exclude park employees, even if they are HCPers. Someone from the park service then gave the ludicrous example that they wouldn’t be able to prevent waiters at restaurants in state parks from open-carrying while waiting tables. John Harris, Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, pointed out that this would allow the state to criminally prosecute something that should be merely a condition of employment. Kyle said that if the amendment failed he would propose it again when it got to the Senate floor. Senator Beavers stated that it was not her intent to change current employment policy. Debate went on for about a half an hour, then the amendment was tabled.
PARK CARRY PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE, goes to Finance committee
Seriously, a hat? Like a scarlet letter?
Quick check to see if Jeff Woods is pooping his panties. Yup. First:
Her bill also would open state parks to licensed gunmen, who as we all know are highly trained individuals and would never do anything irresponsible, like discharge their weapons while standing on a bicycle path in a military uniform with a fake police badge.
And:
Of course, as the state parks people have repeatedly told gun nuts, crimes are virtually nonexistent. Over the last four years about 100 million people have visited state parks. In that time, there have been fewer than two dozen violent crimes against people.
As gun nuts have repeatedly shown Jeff Woods, violent crimes committed by handgun carry permit holders are virtually non-existent. Jeff Woods has done his level best to paint holders of handgun carry permits as violent criminals base on a few incidents. I think to date, he’s noted three incidents. And I do question the number of less than two dozen based on Faulk’s list:
Sen Faulk then displayed a list of “hundreds” of crimes from the TBI in response to Mr. Carlton’s assertion that only 22 crimes against persons committed in state parks.
But let’s look at some numbers (though Faulk’s list wouldn’t change the minuscule percentages much):
Percentage of violent crime per park visitor (24/100M): 0.000024%
Percentage of violent crime committed by carry permit holders as reported by ace reporter Jeff Woods (3/339,000): 0.000885%
I guess that 0.000861% difference is enough to cause the soiling of undies.
