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Concealed handgun permits should not become easier to get in Tennessee. Citizens should be better trained on guns. | Plazas

The Tennessee General Assembly has passed legislation that would "dumb down" training required to obtain a concealed handgun permit.

David Plazas
The Tennessean
  • David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee.

When gun control advocates and NRA-certified instructors align on a firearms issue, our elected officials should pay attention.

In this polarized political environment and in this age of too many mass shootings, these sides are typically portrayed as enemies: Either pro- or anti-Second Amendment zealots.

However, on April 24, at the Cordell Hull legislative building in downtown Nashville, they showed they had found common ground around the issue of safety and responsibility.

Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America organized a press conference featuring firearms instructors to oppose a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that would water down training for people who apply for a concealed handgun permit.

Current training does not make someone an expert

Gary Turner, director of training at Sumner Gun & Supply, LLC, spoke at a press conference organized by gun-control advocates against a Tennessee bill that would reduce training for obtaining a concealed handgun permit. Cordell Hull Building, Nashville. April 24, 2019.

House Bill 1264 sponsored by state Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dreseden, and companion Senate Bill 705 sponsored by state Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, would change the present system.

Under the bill, the eight-hour class followed by written and firing range tests currently required under the law would now earn someone a so-called “enhanced” handgun carry permit.

An ordinary permit would merely require demonstrating "competence" in firearms use, by taking one of a variety of training courses, which may not be as long or in depth as the current program.

There is no difference except that "enhanced" means an applicant received better training. 

If the requirements become that much easier, why would anyone bother doing the eight-hour course?

Gary Turner, director of training at Sumner Gun & Supply, LLC, who is certified in Florida, Illinois and Tennessee, was one of several trainers to sound the alarm at the April 24 press conference.

“They believe they’re trying to foster an addition to Second Amendment Rights,” he said. “This is clouding the training. It dumbs it down.

“The process is jeopardizing the safety of the people of Tennessee. Just having a permit in your wallet does not make you an expert,” he added.

I can attest to that. I took the training and passed the test last fall and I am no firearms expert.

But I learned a lot about safety, the liability around using a weapon, and how to load, shoot, store and clean a handgun. I gained a deep appreciation for what it means to own and carry a firearm and that it has life-and-death implications.

Turner, by the way, was one of nearly two dozen people who agreed to participate in The Tennessean’s gun owners panel in 2017 as part of our community listening efforts.

Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, Nashville local group leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in Tennessee, also participated in our panel two years ago.

The group made responsibility a central part of the conversation even then.

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Gun restrictions have loosened in Tennessee 

Citizens have a duty to exercise their rights responsibly.

More training, not less, should be required if someone wants to be called a responsible firearms owner.

After all, our elected officials, including Lee, have talked about strengthening character and civics education.

On Tuesday, the Tennessee House of Representatives approved the bill 62-31. On Thursday, the bill passed in the Senate 18-11 and it now goes to Lee for his signature.

This is disappointing, but not surprising. Our leaders should remember that while the Second Amendment provides citizens the right to bear arms, the courts have ruled the government can make reasonable restrictions and prohibitions.

Even so, in Tennessee over the years, gun restrictions have been loosened, but that has not necessarily yielded positive results.

Consider the 85 percent year-over-year increase in thefts of guns from cars across the state.

Those gun owners did not secure their vehicles or weapons, and that negligence put their neighbors’ lives in danger.

Now that it appears the required training will be watered down, citizens would benefit by going beyond the basics and also take a more rigorous gun safety course.

,That would invite to people have better conversations about firearms policy.

And we need more and better conversations around an issue with life-and-death implications.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas. Subscribe and support local journalism.