Gun control advocates have expressed concerns over proposed legislation in Tennessee that would define those with handgun carry permits as law enforcement officers.
Adult members of the public in Tennessee can apply for an enhanced gun permit by paying a $100 fee and providing a certificate to prove they have attended an eight-hour handgun safety course.
The permit allows for both open and concealed carry, and is currently held by 686,348 people in Tennessee, according to the state's Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
If proposed bills HB 254 and SB 2523 were made law, all 686,348 of those people could, in theory, be included in the definition of a 'law enforcement officer'.
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A summary on the Tennessee General Assembly website explains, 'As introduced, [the bill] expands the definition of 'law enforcement officer' to include a person who has been issued an enhanced handgun carry permit; provided, that the permit is not suspended, revoked, or expired, for purposes of authority to carry a firearm under certain circumstances.'
ABC News reports there are not currently any hearings scheduled for the bills in the state assembly and state senate, and that the former only has one co-sponsor, however the legislation has still prompted criticisms from Tennessee's largest police union and gun control advocates.
State Senator Joey Hensley, who introduced the state Senate version of the bill, has argued that the goal is to allow eligible permit carriers to carry their guns in businesses that may otherwise prohibit guns, though they would not be allowed to bring them into courts or schools.
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He said, 'This is trying to open it up so that people who go to the extreme to get this extra permit can have the right to defend themselves in more places.'
However, Jonathan Gold, a firearms instructor and member of the non-profit Giffords Gun Owners for Safety, said the proposed legislation fells like a 'regression to the old West'.
Speaking to ABC News, he added, 'I've studied the old West, and I don't think anyone wants to go back to the murder rate of Tombstone.'
Further opposition comes from the Tennessee State Lodge for the Fraternal Order of Police, which has said it is 'adamantly opposed to this bill in its current form'.
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Scottie DeLashmit, the president of the union, said police officers in the state 'spend countless hours' honing their shooting skills; that they must qualify annually with the same weapons, and that they spend hours training in 'driving, criminal law, defensive tactics, etc'.
In a statement responding to the bill, he said, 'These vigorous standards are in place to ensure officers are familiar with their weapons. The enhanced handgun carry permit training is far less demanding than anything required from a cadet attending a basic law enforcement academy.'
Hensley, who does not have any experience in law enforcement, has claimed that the union has a misunderstanding of the bill, saying it's not meant to make civilians members of law enforcement.
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Paul Kemp, the co-founder of the grassroots group Gun Owners for Responsible Gun Ownership, has said the current lack of details regarding the bill would likely lead to confusion among both civilians and law enforcement.
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Emily Brown