According to a memo from Republican Governor Bill Lee’s office on the subject of gun control, those in Lee’s camp believe that it is not possible to contain mental illness, and thus his proposal for red flag laws should be implemented.
One of the memos, obtained via public records request by The Associated Press, claims that Lee accused the National Rifle Association (NRA) of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties.”
“Not only is the NRA’s proposal impractical — it would drastically expand the scope of government,” one of the memos reportedly says.
The memo also says that the NRA “does not get at the heart of the problem, as it fails to address unstable individuals who suffer from mental health issues but do not qualify for involuntary commitment to a facility.”
Lee’s plan, on the other hand, is to implement red flag laws, which would also expand the scope of the government. Red flag laws typically allow law enforcement and/or a judge to decide whether a person is mentally unstable, and whether their guns should be taken away from them.
But the NRA argues that Tennessee’s broad civil commitment laws would make it easy for authorities to remove guns from their lawful owners.
In an April 18 call to action, the NRA said:
T. C. A. § 33-6-402 provides for the immediate detention of dangerous individuals experiencing a mental health crisis by a law enforcement officer, physician, psychologist, or certain other designated professionals. This procedure can be utilized when,
(1) a person has a mental illness or serious emotional disturbance, AND
(2) the person poses an immediate substantial likelihood of serious harm… because of the mental illness or serious emotional disturbance,A person detained in this manner is then evaluated to determine whether they meet the criteria for admission to a hospital or treatment resource.
Tennessee could improve access to emergency mental health services. A 2016 report from the Treatment Advocacy Center determined that the Volunteer State ranked 41 out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in state hospital psychiatric beds per capita.
After taking heat from left-wing activists in the wake of the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Lee called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly, which is scheduled for August.
On March 27, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who identified as transgender, shot and killed six at The Covenant School before being neutralized by police.
“After much input from members of the General Assembly and discussions with legislative leadership, we have decided to call a special session to continue our work to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights,” Lee said in a statement.
“There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons,” Lee added. “We also share a strong commitment to preserving Second Amendment rights, ensuring due process and addressing the heart of the problem with strengthened mental health resources.”
“I look forward to continued partnership with the General Assembly as we pursue thoughtful, practical solutions to keep Tennesseans safe,” he said.
But the GOP-led Tennessee House isn’t budging on red flag laws.
“Any red flag law is a non-starter for House Republicans,” the House majority party said on Twitter in April. “Our caucus is focused on finding solutions that prevent dangerous individuals from harming the public and preserve the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. We have always been open to working with Governor Lee on measures that fit within that framework.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
