CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville City Council members discussed Thursday a resolution to declare Clarksville a “Second Amendment sanctuary city.”
The resolution, sponsored by both Jason Knight (Ward 5) and Trisha Butler (Ward 12) independently, states that Clarksville “will provide haven for, and shall support and protect the Constitution of the United States” as related to the Second Amendment.
In introducing the resolution, Knight said the declaration, though symbolic in nature, would bring the city into lockstep with Montgomery County Government, which passed similar legislation last year.
Knight also referenced pending legislation on the federal and state level related to firearm permits. A federal resolution would, among other things, require a license to possess some types of firearms. The Tennessee General Assembly is considering a bill on “red flag laws.”
Butler referenced public sentiment as her reason for bringing up the resolution.
“This is not something that we need to be saying again, but people are asking us to say it,” Butler said during the meeting.
‘Red flag laws save lives’
Some council members spoke against the resolution. Ward 9 council member Karen Reynolds condemned the resolution’s reference to red flag laws, which she said save lives.
Regarding red flag laws, she said, “This is not a willy-nilly approach but is directed at a group of residents that have a really high risk of dying,” Reynolds said during the meeting. “This (Second Amendment resolution) mostly serves to put our vulnerable citizens, mostly women and mentally ill people, at risk.”
Reynolds went on to say that red flag laws offer important protections to at-risk individuals, particular women, children and minority populations.
Ward 8 council member Wanda Allen questioned the efficacy of the overtly symbolic resolution.
A larger conversation
Laws related to firearms, and the licensure of firearms, have been a hot topic in national as well as statewide politics in recent weeks.
At a hearing of the Criminal Justice Committee on Thursday, state legislators spoke with Jeff Bledsoe of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, who defended permit requirements for gun owners.
“We still need to, with this bill, look for a method that lets us know whether a person is unlawfully carrying,” Bledsoe said, according to live footage of the meeting.
Committee member Rep. Jerry Sexton of District 35, criticized Bledsoe, telling him that the Sheriff’s Association needs to “back off.”
Clarksville City Council members are expected to vote on the resolution to declare Clarksville a Second Amendment sanctuary city on Thursday, March 5.
The regular session can be viewed live on the City of Clarksville Government’s Facebook page or on their website.