WHEREAS, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”; and
WHEREAS, U.S Supreme Court decisions, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010), reinforced an earlier decision in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), affirming the individual right of citizens to keep and bear arms; and
WHEREAS, The Republican Party platform states, “We oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process of law.”; and
WHEREAS, “Red Flag” laws are in violation of the U.S. Constitution, specifically the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 14th Amendments, because such laws, 1) violate due process by depriving a citizen of property based on presumptions, accusations, or a prediction of future behavior, and 2) unfairly deprives, without a criminal conviction, the right of a citizen to self-defense and keep and bear arms; and
WHEREAS, Tragic mass shootings are unfortunately used for political purposes to advocate for gun confiscation. According to CDC data there is a weak correlation between gun ownership and homicide rates; and
WHEREAS, Suicide by guns is a tragic result of an individual’s struggle with mental health. Society needs to study the root causes of rising mental health issues and effectively address this important issue without violating Constitutional rights; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, ___________________________________________ encourages elected officials to support public safety in schools with law enforcement and school resource officers, address the root causes of violence, utilize better enforcement of existing laws to deprive violent criminals, or the adjudicated mentally ill, of their ability to do harm, and provide greater mental health services appropriate to treat conditions that may lead to such violent crime or suicide; and
RESOLVED, ________________________________________________ rejects any public body resolution in support of or legislation referred to as “Red Flag” law(s) or Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), or so called “temporary mental health order of protection” legislation that 1) infringes on the God-given right of law abiding Tennesseans to self-defense, 2) violates due process by depriving a citizen of their right to keep and bear arms, without a criminal conviction, based on presumptions, accusations, or a prediction of future behavior of a person; and
RESOLVED, A copy of this adopted resolution be sent to all Republican Knox County State Delegation members, Knox County Commissioners, and Knox County Board of Education Members.
Adopted the ___ day of __________,
2023
___________________ _________________
President Secretary