IN-DEPTH: Red Flag or ERPO? Some Tennessee Republicans Seek Rebrand, But Face Opposition From Within and Gun Rights Groups

Democrats, the media, and gun rights organizations have argued that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s’s” order of protection” law essentially amounts to a” red flag ,” which many Republicans have said are nonstarter in the bright red state. As Tennessee governor Lee calls on the state legislature to propose an enhanced” order for protection.

As he signed school health regulations last June, Republican Lee, who has opposed gun bans as recently as last year, discussed red flag regulations in response to a reporter’s’s query.

He told the reporter,” As you are aware, there are numerous discussions taking place across the nation regarding regulations governing gun rights, red flag laws, and waiting period legislation.” We’re’re not currently looking at gun restriction laws in my administration, so there will be those discussions all over the nation. One thing to keep in mind is that, regardless of whether they are a drug act, criminals break regulations and don’t follow the law.

Lee appeared to have changed his mind during a press conference earlier this week in which he announced his calls for legislation requiring extreme risk protection order ( ERPO ) and warned lawmakers that they might need to abandon their” previously held positions” on the matter.

He declared,” I’ve’ve certainly been speaking with leadership from both parties.” If we’re’re going to accomplish anything, it will probably require coming together, as well as potentially laying down our previously held positions.

He responded,” I think it falls under a law that I think is appropriate for our state given the circumstances we’re’re in ,” when asked later in the press conference if the legislation he was asking for fell under” red flag laws.”

Republicans in Tennessee have claimed that Lee’s’s request differs in that he calls for strengthening active safety guidelines, which primarily apply to private incidents, while still ensuring the due process of those who are reportedly a threat to themselves or others.

” As we consider thought health orders of protection, they must have some degree of due process, safeguards against false statements, and a prompt reading for those who pose immediate risks.” Republican state House Speaker Cameron Sexton stated in a statement that the House is ready to work toward republican ideas to safeguard all kids at their school, in their communities, and inside their homes.

The stronger arrangement of safety laws may be led by law enforcement, which has” a higher standard burden of proof ,” according to Lee’s’s statement this week.

A person who has demonstrated that they are a genuine threat to themselves or to others — that person, that individual— should not have access to firearms, according to the” Due process requires clear and convincing evidence.” Our legal system is ready and has years of experience handling safety commands.

A Marketing of” Red Flag” Laws

Sen. says,” If you say red flag, it’s’s dead.” Democratic majority president Jack Johnson stated during a congressional hearing that was captured on tape and made public. ” ERPO is better, and I believe that term has been so tainted— red flag laws— that we must rebrand it in order to pass.

Johnson declared in a statement that he was” committed to protecting Tennesseans’ legal right, including the right to due process ,” days before the sound was leaked. I’ve’ve always been against so-called” red-flag laws” because they rob citizens of their rights without due process, and I still am.

He claimed that the audio was produced by an” anti-gun activist” who was” advocating for red flag laws along with other extreme gun control measures” in response to questions from The Epoch Times about its veracity.

He wrote in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times,” He secretly recorded our 40-minute discussion where I explained to him that red flag laws are an absolute nonstarter for me and most other Tennesseans because they are in conflict with the Constitution and violate not only the 2nd Amendment but also the right to due technique.” ” The media is trying to convince Tennesseans that I want to confuse them by passing a red flag regulations disguised as something else ,” the media claimed, quoting an intensive conversation in which the 27-second picture was taken out of context. That is completely false and couldn’t be further from the point.

Johnson, the second-most Republican in the state senate, continued by stating that he has always opposed so-called red flag laws and may start to do so.

In his emailed statement, Johnson stated that” Red flag laws are especially dangerous because they have come to be associated with denying people their due process by carrying out a criminal conviction without the right to fair test.” My oath of office to uphold the Constitution and my long-held individual views forbid me from supporting any for illegal act.

Republican State Representative Jason Zachary said that red flag laws doesn’t work in Tennessee, and Lee’s’s contact is for a legislation that safeguards due process.

He stated in a movie,” Let me be clear, dark iris regulations are simply not going to pass the House in the state of Tennessee.” Therefore, we’re’re going to exert every effort to maintain due process.

Conservatives and gun rights organizations oppose proposals, claiming that they are generally red flag laws.

The Tennessee Firearms Association, known as” Tennessee’s’s even no-compromise weapon,”