Change would allow handguns at Tennessee legislative complex

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The leaders of the state House and Senate are moving to end a total gun ban at the legislative office complex.

Sen. Ron Ramsey of Blountville and Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville, the Republican speakers of the Senate and House, said Thursday that they want the begin allowing people with handgun carry permits to be armed within the Legislative Plaza.

Ramsey said he had wanted to make the change at the start of the year, but that the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which runs security at the facility, wanted more time to make logistical changes.

It’s unclear whether the change would require another checkpoint to be set up at the underground tunnel to the Capitol.

But the Tennessee Highway Patrol has put the brakes on the move while considering the security implications for both the Legislative Plaza and the state Capitol. And Gov. Bill Haslam said in a Thursday interview with The Associated Press that he wants to maintain the gun ban for the Capitol, calling it a “secure building.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Department of General Services says it isn’t up to the tenants of Legislative Plaza to decide the gun policy. In Commissioner Bob Oglesby’s words: “It’s under our control.”

About 536,000 people have state-issued handgun carry permits in Tennessee.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.