Is Governor Bill Lee waving a Red Flag
or a White Flag on 'Gun-Control'?

By Rob Morse, June 12, 2023

Republican Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee asked for a Red Flag law. I’m not sure if the governor is working for the voters or surrendering to the press. There is no solid definition of what a Red Flag law really means and the Governor’s proposal seems to have shifted over time. In general, Red Flag laws allow the government to confiscate someone’s guns. Beyond that, the details vary. In this case it looks like the Governor is working harder to please the press than to make us safer.

The issue of red flag laws in Tennessee was driven into the spotlight when another murderer with mental health issues attacked the public. In this case, it was a woman who now dressed like a man who attacked a privately run Christian school in Nashville. Police responded quickly to shoot the murderer. The Covenant school was a gun free zone so there were no armed defenders at the scene when the attack started. The 28 year old murderer killed three 9-year-old children and three adults before police officers stopped her.

Our children’s safety at school is a concern to almost everyone. It is certainly a concern of a Governor who needs a soundbite answer to questions from the press. The concern that I have is that most of the public safety laws passed in haste are actually ineffective and harmful. A firearm purchase waiting period sounds good. It lets the governor say he “did something to protect the children”. Mandatory waiting periods simply don’t stop mass murderers, though waiting periods often leave a domestic abuse victim disarmed.

Mass murderers are obsessed, but mass-murders are not acts of emotional impulse. Mass-murderers usually plan their attacks in detail over several years. The murderer in Nashville wrote a lengthy manifesto. She bought seven firearms over time. Passing a waiting period bill lets the governor say he did something and the press would never question if waiting periods actually protect our children. .....