Tennessee's Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-0 Monday to send a bill to the Senate floor that would allow Tennessee's handgun-carry permit holders to store firearms in vehicles parked on most public and private parking lots.
Senate Bill 142 would allow weapons stored securely and out of sight in a parked vehicle, even if an employer did not want such weapons on company property.
"I was pleased to see the Judiciary Committee vote nearly unanimously on a bipartisan basis to allow gun permit holders to keep their firearms securely locked in their vehicles while at work," Ramsey said in a statement Tuesday evening. "This bill ensures that private property rights are respected while gun owners are protected."
Ophelia Ford, a Memphis Democrat, abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass the committee with no opposition.
The legislation includes language protecting employers from lawsuits resulting from an action involving a properly stored firearm.
But some opponents see the bill as infringing on the property rights of employers.
"We believe that the current system of don’t-ask-don’t-tell approach has worked well for many years since 1997 when the handgun carry permit legislation passed," Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Bill Ozier said. "The urgency of passing some legislation to expand the rights of gun owners to bring their weapons onto the property of others is essentially a solution without a problem."
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