BRISTOL, Tenn. – In a passionate vote Tuesday night, City Council narrowly approved a resolution banning handguns from the city’s public parks – despite a state law that will soon allow them.
In a 3-2 vote, council approved the handgun-ban resolution, with members David Shumaker, Margaret Feierabend and Mayor Fred Testa voting “yes” and Joel Staton and James Messimer opposing it.
“We’re talking about handguns,” Shumaker said in support of the ban. “Let’s not mince words here. It’s a weapon designed for a human being to kill another human being. I’m not comfortable with that (in public parks).”
But Staton angrily blasted Shumaker’s view as “ridiculous” and said council’s resolution unfairly targets legal handgun owners who were properly trained to use the weapons, and who would make them visible in parks.
“It’s not the gun you can see that bothers me,” Staton said. “It’s the ones you can’t see.”
With Tuesday night’s vote, Bristol became the latest of several Tennessee cities rushing to keep handguns out of public parks. The vote heads off a state law, that takes effect Sept. 1, allowing legal owners to carry them in such places.
Johnson City officials approved a similar handgun-ban last week. Other cities, including Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville, are considering their own measures to prohibit the weapons in parks.
The new Tennessee law has a loophole that allows cities to decide if they want to ban handguns in their parks. But those cities are required to approve resolutions before Sept. 1, with specific language stating that no handguns can be carried in public parks.
Bristol’s ban was supported by City Manager Jeff Broughton and Police Chief Blaine Wade.
In hammering home his own support Tuesday night, Shumaker said that while he personally owns firearms, he sees no reason for residents to carry handguns in heavily populated areas like parks.
He said the weapons might lead those carrying them to act as vigilantes or overreact to incidents inside the parks.
“Maybe it’s a macho thing,” Shumaker said.
But Bristol resident Greg Carrier criticized the resolution, and echoed Staton’s view that the ban wrongly singles out legal handgun owners, especially since few misuse their permits or have them revoked, he said.
“There’s been no evidence of irresponsible behavior,” Carrier told council members. “The only thing this legislation accomplishes is disarming law-abiding citizens.”
In other council action Tuesday, the members selected Testa and Feierabend to serve as mayor and vice-mayor, respectively, for this fiscal year.
rbrown@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2512.
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