VITAL POLICY – Dandridge and Jefferson County Governments Line Up to Oppose Unconstitutional Red Flag Laws
Dandridge, Tennessee Board of Mayor and Aldermen, meeting on May 9th, added to the growing list of municipal government bodies across Tennessee that have made formal resolutions opposing “red flag” laws. This follows similar resolutions made by the Jefferson County Republican Party Executive Committee on April 14, 2023, and the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners on April 17th, 2023.
All three Jefferson County Red Flag Resolutions include the following language:
“red flag laws are repugnant to the U.S. Constitution, specifically to the Second Amendment, because such laws, 1) potentially deprive law abiding citizens of their right to self-defense, 2) violate the due process doctrine by potentially depriving a citizen of property and self-defense based on presumptions, accusations, or a prediction of future behavior of a person, and 3) unfairly punish and infringe, without a criminal conviction, the right of citizen(s) to keep and bear arms.”
For background, text, analysis by the Tennessee Firearms Association, and Governor Bill Lee’s media release on the proposed Tennessee red flag legislation, a link is provided here. VITAL POLICY – OPINION – Gun Control Focus of Special Legislative Session | The Jefferson County Post
Constitutional conservatives are speaking out in stark terms.
“Obviously, there is a mental health crisis nationally and in Tennessee. Incidents like the one in Nashville are painful and heartbreaking to every compassionate person. The proactive action is to address the core, destructive issue of mental health crisis which impacts every part of society. The Red Flag law is a strike against 2nd amendment rights and is a toe in the door to further erosion of those rights. Even executed perfectly, the red flag law is subjective at best. At it’s worst, it has the potential to trample the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. Mental health issues are scary. Criminals who commit nefarious acts with guns are scary. But make no mistake, the tampering with constitutional rights, cloaked in a “safety” package like the Red Flag law should be terrifying to every law-abiding citizen.” – Jeff Depew, Alderman, City of Dandridge
(Link to Dandridge, Tennessee Red Flag Resolution)
(Link to Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Resolution)
The Tennessee Conservative News and the Jefferson County Post continue to report on the groundswell of opposition to “red flag” legislation in Tennessee. Links to those reports are linked below.
David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.
