NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There have been some new developments for gun owners in the Volunteer State.

Last month, a panel of judges in Gibson County Chancery Court ruled that Tennessee's ban on guns in parks unconstitutional, along with a law that makes it illegal to carry a gun with the "intent to go armed." However, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is appealing the ruling, calling it "too far."

"It’s obviously constitutional to prohibit a 10-year-old from bringing a semiautomatic rifle to a rec league basketball game or a drunk with a shotgun from staggering down Broadway or through Market Square or across Shelby Farms," a statement to News 2 reads, in part. "But the Court’s ruling appears to legalize this in Tennessee."

Gov. Bill Lee has backed the appeal despite some Republicans who wanted the first ruling to stay.

"We understand that the Second Amendment — and protecting it — is incredibility important in this state," Lee said.

Some Republicans and others called the initial Gibson County Chancery Court ruling a win and have urged the Attorney General to let the ruling stand.

Lee has called for clarity.

"It calls a lot of laws in Tennessee unconstitutional that we know are not," Lee told News 2. "There has to be some clarity around this."

The Attorney General's office filed a motion for a stay on the ruling, which would allow the law to stay enforceable while the appeal works its way through the legal system.

Some Democrats have also expressed concern about the ruling.

"If people are intimidated or don't feel it's safe to take a child to a playground, that's not something we want," Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said.

Sen. London Lamar, chairwoman of the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus, issued a statement Wednesday in response to the Bill Lee administration's decision to appeal a lower court ruling finding two gun safety laws unconstitutional.

“I support the Lee administration’s decision to appeal this reckless ruling. These long-standing gun safety laws are constitutional and they exist for a reason: to give law enforcement the tools they need to protect the public," Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) said in a statement to News 2.
"...This appeal is necessary — and it’s about more than defending a law. It’s about defending the right of every Tennessean to feel safe in their own community.”

Attorneys said the appeal could take at least a year to be addressed.

"The laws have to be very clear and interpretations from the courts have to give that clarity, and I think that's where we're headed," Lee said.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/lee-backs-gun-law-overturn-appeal/