By Jenelle Grewell | Assistant News Editor
The new Tennessee law to allow handguns to be carried by handgun-carry permit holders in parks, Public Chapter 428, went into affect Tuesday, Sept. 1. The Associated Press reported 70 cities across Tennessee have decided not to pass the new new Tennessee law.
Clarksville was one of the cities to opt out of the law in July. A month after Clarksville chose not to pass the law, City Council members struck down a resolution to repeal the ban proposed by Fourth Ward Councilman Wallace Redd.
Lance Biles, APSU director of Public Safety, said the law would not affect APSU campus. “The laws about guns on campus did not change,” Biles said.
The Associated Press went on to report a second vote on the new law after Clarksville Police Department Deputy Chief Mike Parr said 58 of the more than 13,000 crimes committed in Clarksville last year were committed in parks.
Supporters of the ban say it will protect park users, especially children. However, opponents say the ban will create a patchwork of rules that ruin the law’s intention, which is to make it possible for people with licenses to have more freedom in carrying guns into more public places.
“Any time you have a weapon, it gives you more reason to abuse them,” Biles said.
Some APSU students shared Biles’ concern. Robert Gallowitz, a sophomore marketing major said, “I think the law will cause more problems and that it is unnecessary to have hand guns in parks.”
Brooklyn Singleton, a freshman undecided major said everyone has a right to bear arms and doesn’t see the big deal.
“If people are concerned about the safety of children then they shouldn’t want guns to be carried, period, because children are not only in parks,” Singleton said.
It was also reported that with so many cities opting out of the new law, people in support of the law are pressing lawmakers to take the decision out of the hands of local city governments and up to the state.
“I think the decision should be left up to the state. [Allowing guns in parks] would just cause mass confusion from state to state,” Gallowitz said.
Richard Locker of the Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote on the newspaper’s Web site, www.commercialappeal.com, that he hopes Governor Phil Bredesen will do his part to urge legislature to “roll back some of the gun laws it passed this year at the urging,” he said, “of a relatively few but passionate people.”
Biles said this law would probably never affect the APSU campus. He said such a law is unnecessary when the campus has such a dedicated security force.
For the complete list of Handgun Carry Permit T.C.A. codes, log on to www.tennessee.gov/safety/handgun/handguntca.htm.
– Jenelle Grewell, Assistant News Editor
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