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Council to explore investigator role to enforce firearm dispossession orders in domestic violence cases
Summary
The committee discussed a resolution to fund a domestic violence firearm disposition investigator who would identify prohibited persons not in compliance with dispossession requirements, notify them of duties to surrender firearms, assess risks and refer cases to MNPD and the DA’s office.
Council members discussed a proposal to fund a domestic violence firearm disposition investigator, an initiative that grew out of special meetings on domestic violence and stakeholder input.
“As a result of the October special called meetings on domestic violence...it’s the honor system. Whenever there's a domestic violence situation and the person who is charged is required to relinquish their gun, basically, we just ask them, do you have access to firearms? And if they say no, then we're like, okay,” Council member Stiles said, summarizing the problem the investigator would address.
The resolution as read in committee directs an investigator to seek out prohibited persons who are out of compliance with legal firearms dispossession duties, notify them of the duty to dispossess, assess safety risk, and make referrals “to MNPD, the DA's office, and the high risk intervention panel,” and to coordinate with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) checks for attempted firearm purchases by prohibited persons.
Council members asked whether the investigator's work would address orders of protection, convictions or both. A member summarized the resolution as intended to “investigate prohibited persons who are out of compliance with gun dispossession required by law, contact prohibited persons to notify them of their duty to dispossess themselves of firearms, assess safety risks, and make referrals to MNPD, the DA's office, and the high risk intervention panel, and connect with the TBI to learn if any prohibited persons residing in Davidson County have tried to purchase a firearm and failed the background check.”
Members also referenced community groups who supported the proposal during public hearings. No appropriation was approved in the session; the item was discussed as a wish‑list request and may return for further specification of duties, training requirements and funding source.
