Policy

Tenn. governor’s red flag law push stands out among red states

Most GOP trifecta states this year have pushed to strengthen gun rights.
FILE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State Address in the House Chamber, Feb. 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Two years after Lee led the charge to allow residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit, younger adults could soon have the same privilege, with or without the governor’s signoff. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)

By calling to strengthen gun control laws, Tennessee’s Bill Lee on Tuesday became an outlier among his fellow Republican governors in states where the GOP has total control of government.

Lee is pushing lawmakers to enact an extreme risk protection order statute, which allows the removal of firearms from those deemed dangerous to themselves or others. He said he wants it passed this session, which is scheduled to end May 4. 

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