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Sponsor withdraws proposal to ban guns in Williamson County buildings after public outcry
Summary
A late-filed resolution to prohibit guns in county-owned buildings was pulled by its sponsor before a vote. Multiple citizens spoke during public comment urging the commission not to adopt the measure, arguing it would criminalize law-abiding permit holders and be ineffective.
Commissioner Louis Green withdrew a late-filed resolution (90831) that would have prohibited guns in county-owned buildings and required signage at entrances. Before any formal consideration, the resolution was pulled from the agenda and Commissioner Green offered a brief statement that the proposal was withdrawn "because of the far-reaching implications of it, beyond the content of the resolution."
During the citizens communication period, eight members of the public addressed the commission on the subject. Rob Anderson of the Tennessee Fire Association said the state's carry law has been enforced since 1994 and highlighted licensing statistics: "Currently, today, there are as of August 13 this year, there are 202,922 permit holders in the state of Tennessee. There are 4,600 in Williamson County." Kevin Pratt, who said he survived the 1999 Wedgewood shooting, called such bans "security theater" and urged commissioners to allow law-abiding citizens to defend themselves. Several other speakers — Bill Robinson, Ralph Belew and Chris Rhodes — echoed concerns that a local prohibition would criminalize lawful behavior and would not deter criminals.
The chair acknowledged the public comments and confirmed that the resolution had been pulled by its maker; no formal vote on the prohibition was held. Commissioners made no motion to revisit the item at that time. Several commenters asked the commission not to reintroduce similar measures in the future.
