Concealed handgun permits should not become easier to get in Tennessee

CLOSE Gun owners express their views during a panel discussion at THE TENNESSEAN George Walker IV, The TennesseanThe Tennessee General Assembly is considering a bill that would 'dumb down' training to obtain a concealed handgun permit. Gun-control advocates and NRA-certified firearms instructors oppose it.Story HighlightsDavid 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[1], 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[2] and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America [3]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 expertBuy PhotoGary 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. (Photo: David Plazas | The Tennessean)House Bill 1264[4] sponsored by state Rep. Andy Holt,[5] R-Dreseden, and companion Senate Bill 705 sponsored by state Sen. John Stevens,[6] 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" [7]in firearms use, by taking one of a variety of training courses, which may not be as long or in depth as the current

Read more from our friends at the NRA...