Senate approves bill asserting state control over hunting, drawing sharp warnings from urban senators

The Tennessee Senate on March 12 passed an amendment to Senate Bill 20-28 that explicitly reinforces state authority over the regulation of hunting and fishing, a move that prompted a heated floor debate about public-safety limits in larger cities.

Senator Todd (Lowe), the bill sponsor, said the measure simply clarifies existing state authority and does not remove safety rules already on the books. “This would disallow the city of Nashville from creating their own rules concerning hunting and fishing within the scope of Nashville,” he said, urging colleagues to read the bill narrowly.

Opponents representing urban districts said the change goes further and could strip municipalities of long-standing tools to prevent the discharge of firearms in populated areas. “I mean, it's kinda crazy to to to allow hunting in the city of Nashville,” said Senator Campbell, who warned that permitting hunting in some urban neighborhoods could endanger children and schools.

Senator Oliver, who represents Nashville, underscored the safety concerns with a terse warning: “Bullets don't have eyes.” Several senators cited the history of municipal ordinances limiting firearm discharge and urged that the bill be rolled or revised to protect large urban and suburban jurisdictions.

Senator Yarbrough put the tension in sharper constitutional terms, saying the measure is not merely a clarification: “I don't believe that we're actually clarifying law. We are radically changing it,” he said, urging more study of the implications.

Sponsor Lowe and supporters responded that the bill leaves intact existing safety restrictions—offset requirements from dwellings, prohibitions on shooting from roadways and similar rules that govern public safety—and described the change as an assertion of the state's regulatory prerogative.

After extended discussion and several members' pleas to delay, the Senate adopted the committee amendment and passed SB 20-28 as amended by a recorded vote of 24 in favor and 7 opposed.

What happens next: The bill, as amended and passed by the Senate, will proceed through any remaining legislative steps required to reach the governor. The debate highlighted a fault line between rural lawmakers seeking statewide uniformity and urban senators seeking protections for city-specific public-safety regulations.