Bristol City Council Expected To Vote On Banning Guns In Parks
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Add Bristol to the list of Tennessee cities rushing to keep their residents from carrying handguns in public parks.
Bristol’s City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution banning residents from possessing handguns in the municipal parks. And two council members have already left no doubt that they will strongly back the ban.
“I fully support it,” Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend said Thursday regarding the no-handgun resolution. “Guns don’t have a place in our parks, and people need to know they don’t have a place there.”
Councilman David Shumaker said: “Absolutely, I won’t have a bit of trouble voting for the (resolution). There’s no reason on earth somebody needs to carry a gun in one of our parks.”
Bristol will join Johnson City among the Tennessee cities quickly reacting to an approved state law, scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, that will allow handgun permit holders to carry their guns into public parks.
The state law, however, allows local communities to keep banning handguns in the parks – if they pass new legislation that specifically says so.
Johnson City commissioners unanimously approved a no-handgun resolution Thursday. Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville are among other Tennessee cities weighing similar actions.
Bristol Police Chief Blaine Wade said Thursday that his department backs the proposed council resolution. Wade said the ban would make things “much easier” for his officers as they patrol city parks.
But John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, said Bristol and other cities couldn’t use a loophole – even one provided by the state – to avoid obeying the new law allowing handguns in public parks. Tennessee officials simply didn’t have the constitutional authority to give such power to state cities, Harris said.
It’s like if you elect a judge to serve on the bench and administer the law,” Harris said, “but when you have a case before him, he says he doesn’t feel like dealing with it and gives it to his bailiff to hear.”
Harris said this association might take legal action if handgun permit owners aren’t allowed to carry their weapons in public parks when the approved state law takes effect Sept. 1.
/276-645-2512.
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Reader Reactions
I am a Handgun Carry Permit (HCP) holder and am deeply disturbed by the Bristol City Council’s disregard of law-abiding citizen’s constitutional rights. I also rarely post on any kind of forum. However, I feel it is time to speak to this issue.
To obtain a Handgun Carry Permit, one must complete hours of classroom training, pass a written test of the material, qualify on a live shooting range, pay for the class and all associated fees to the state, apply for the permit, pass a background check, and be fingerprinted. Anyone who is willing to jump through all these hoops to obtain a legal permit to defend himself or herself should not be required to give up that right due to the ignorance of three people.
While most Bristolians are great folks, there have been times I have been in Steele Creek Park and felt very uncomfortable due to the actions of a few. You can rest assured that the criminals that want to do harm will be carrying no matter how many laws are made or how many signs are posted. It is the right of Americans to be able to defend themselves in such situations.
Bristol City Council, you blew it on this one!
Well it has started. We are now in the midst of a city government that are gun haters and non believers in the 2nd admendment.
As stated on the Johnson City blog about this very same thing there is a movement by some in congress that wants many knives banned. Even ones with a thumb stud or similar device on the blade.
I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT SWITCHBLADES BUT MANUAL OPENING KNIVES THAT CAN BE OPENED WITH ONE HAND.
This will get rid of most Spyderco knives, most CRKT knives, most Emerson knives, most Cold Steel knives and many more.
It is time that the people put their foot down and step up and let these leaders know that we won’t put up with it.
Most people are too young to remember the ‘68 Gun Control Act.
The premise to start out with was to get rid of CHEAP Saturday nite specials. They even put a size restriction on the guns and this eliminated some high dollar Walther handguns which WERE NOT cheap handguns but upper price range handguns.
Then some bright idiot wanted to use accuracy standards to also eliminate some guns. Who was going to test them some yeahoo that couldn’t hit the side of a barn?
That would have gotten about all handguns then but that didn’t happen.
All it was was a ploy to try to eliminate handguns period but it didn’t work.
We had better watch these people in city government in Kingsport, JC and Bristol because they are a faction of people that will ban your rights on maybe owning a frying pan one day because it could be used as a weapon.
All this is being done one small step at a time so it won’t be too painful but their goal of no rights for the citizens is being slowly enforced on all of us.
THINK ABOUT IT.
As stated on here before. The people that have a permit aren’t the ones that we need to be worried over. They have clean records..or they wouldn’t have a permit. It is the crazy people out there that hang around our parks looking for innocent people to hurt that we need to be worried about. If you have read the Bristol Blotter posted often in the paper, then you know what our police dept is dealing with, do you think they have time to deal with someone trying to hurt you while you are running at the park? No way could they get there in time to stop a rape on a trail in Steels Creek. We should be able to protect ourselves. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. The city folks need to be out showing our “chosen ones” how we feel about this situation.
Most cops that I know are 100% for conceled carry. They tell me that most all the rank and file officers are for it, that it’s mostly the higher ups like the chiefs and sheriffs against it.
I hope the city council will use plain ole good judgement in this vote, but afraid they won’t. I do hope that people will either call their elected councilman or woman and /or show up at the city council meeting to make their voices heard on this matter.
It is a shame that we have an anti gun police chief in office.
Looks like the gun hating people have gotten to him.
If you are reading this Blaine what is the average response time to a call at any of the local parks in case one of you guys aren’t on park property?
Would you even be so kind as to tell us? Or is that a secret? 1 second? 2 seconds? A minute? 3 Minutes? what is it.
When a few seconds count in a bad situation between a thug and an innocent citizen and you aren’t there who will be there?
Can’t answer? The person that should have been allowed to carry a gun thats who.
Oh wait I’ll just carry my cell phone and call 911. I forgot.
Now what is your arrival time again.
I know you are reading this so lets hear it.
I think it is time to write, call etc the city council and let them know how we feel.
Legally permitted carriers should be allowed to carry in parks.
Unless the city council is going to take turns patrolling these places armed with their pens, pencils, clipboards and purses we should be allowed to carry our guns.
Gun ownes must stand together or we stand facing losing more rights.
When our economic situation is at a low our city leaders think gun control is now the most important issue. What about bringing in so high paying companies to help put our citizens back to work and put the gun issues on the back burner. Just amazing what our council thinks are priorities.
yak yak yak. Still communistic gun haters that were probably good sensible people but have been brainwashed by the ones that want to make people into sheeple.
I understand that there are alot of people wanting to be politically correct.
If a person goes through the steps of getting a handgun permit then it is my understanding that they will be vetted to see if there is criminal history.
I go to Steeles Creek Park all the time and have no problem with folks carrying a gun to protect themselves and their family.
I have had several instances of young punks there talking trash out of their mouths. If on these occasions it gets loud enough I will confront them. I have also seen where the same thugs will throw rocks etc at the ducks.
The only thing I have ever seen the police do up there is set speed traps on Broad St or give people tickets to raise their revenue on another form of taxation by handing out parking tickets there.
Let the people carry their guns. I’m going later this year to get my permit.
I agree that that those seeking to rob,rape or kill will have their guns at the parks while the people who are lawful gun carriers will have to hope police will get there on time and save a life. Not throwing off on the police, but Steele Creek park and Rooster Front park are quiet a distance away from main thoughfare areas. And there’s not enough of them to cover the city now as it is.I guess we have to stand by and watch a rape,murder or robbery and hope the perps are caught later.But then we aren’t allowed to defend ourselves in our own homes(You have to retreat with no way to get out before using force) so why should a public place be different
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