NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The State of Tennessee will appeal a Gibson County Chancery Court ruling declaring two gun laws unconstitutional, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Following a lawsuit, a panel of judges in West Tennessee ruled last month two state firearm laws were unconstitutional: one was a ban on guns in public parks, and the other was a law against carrying a gun with the “intent to go armed.”
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the state planned to appeal the ruling, citing a lack of clarity with the consequences of the lower court panel’s decision.
Questions remain after TN court rules two gun laws unconstitutional
“We’re appealing the Hughes decision because the Court’s broad ruling goes too far,” the AG said in a statement to News 2. “It entirely invalidates two gun laws, even though those laws are constitutional in some situations. For example, it’s obviously constitutional to prohibit a 10-year-old from bringing a semiautomatic rifle to a rec league basketball game or a drunk with a shotgun from staggering down Broadway or through Market Square or across Shelby Farms. But the Court’s ruling appears to legalize this in Tennessee. We look forward to the appellate courts providing clarity for citizens and law enforcement.”…