NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s top Republicans have threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state grants from left-leaning Memphis if leaders stick with plans to put three local gun control initiatives on the November ballot. The Memphis City Council voted back in November to ask voters whether they want to amend the city constitution to require a permit to carry a handgun, ban ownership of AR-15-style rifles and implement a so-called “red flag” ordinance. Red flag ordinances allow police officers to take firearms from people who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others. Local politicians have said they are willing to “take the risk” on how the Legislature will react should the measures pass.
Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) shakes hands with Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) after a news conference April 25, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Republican leaders threatened Monday to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state grants from the left-leaning city of Memphis if party leaders stick to their plans to put three local gun control initiatives on the ballot in November.
Earlier this year, the Memphis City Council decided to ask voters in November whether it wanted to amend the city constitution to require a permit to carry handguns, ban ownership of AR-15-style rifles and enact a so-called “red flag” ordinance that would allow police officers to confiscate firearms from people who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.
The city council had been debating the ballot proposals for more than a year, at times acknowledging that it might risk the wrath of the Republican-dominated legislature because the proposals would likely conflict with Tennessee’s lax gun laws.
Regardless, city council members representing the state’s most populous and black-dominated region said they were willing to “take the risk.”
“This is an opportunity for the citizens of Memphis to have their say,” City Councilman Chase Carlisle said during a committee meeting in 2023 when the measures were first discussed. “Whether this is constitutionally enforceable or not, I think is irrelevant. I think it’s an opportunity for the General Assembly, whether they’re listening or not, to understand where we stand as a community. And give people a voice.”
“We will take the risk. If the General Assembly wants to punish us and our citizens for asking for help, we will respond accordingly, but that would be absolutely heartbreaking,” Carlisle added.
In 2021, Republican lawmakers and Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved permit-free handgun carry and in May banned local cities and counties from implementing their own red flag laws. Meanwhile, many within that same Republican supermajority have rejected calls for restrictions on firearms, an aspiration that only intensified after a gunman shot and killed three adults and three 9-year-olds at a Nashville private school last year. Some of the rejected proposals range from implementing a statewide red flag law to stricter gun storage regulations and background checks on gun purchases.
Less than three months before Election Day, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Speaker Randy McNally released a statement Monday warning the people of Memphis of the consequences of passing ballot measures against the will of the House.
“The Tennessee Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of state and local governments,” McNally, a Republican from Oak Ridge, said in the statement. “Shelby County must understand that, despite its hopes and desires to the contrary, it is bound by these explicit constitutional guardrails.”
Last year, Memphis received nearly $78 million in state sales tax revenue. The city’s current budget is $858 million.
“Guns pose a different risk to Memphis residents than they do to other communities, but we understand that we must work with our state to develop a range of tools to restore peace to our community,” Mayor Paul Young said in a statement Monday in response to the Legislature’s ultimatum. “What happens next is in the hands of voters and the Legislature.”
Members of Tennessee’s white-majority legislature have long criticized Memphis, particularly its management of crime rates, and expressed distrust of the response of black city leaders. In 2023, the city recorded a record 398 murders and a spike in burglaries to over 14,000.
However, according to preliminary figures from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, the rate of reported crime in Memphis in the first half of 2024 remained below that of the first half of 2023 in nearly all major categories, including the violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The violent crime rate decreased 5.1% in the first half of the year compared to 2023, with all four categories seeing declines. The commission did not elaborate on the reasons for the decline.
Trust was further damaged this year when Republican lawmakers and the governor signed a bill to reverse traffic stop reforms put in place after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by police last year. The legislature persisted in repealing a Memphis City Council ordinance banning so-called sham traffic stops for minor violations such as a broken tail light, despite emotional pleas from Nichols’ family to drop the measure.
Sexton has also been critical of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Mulroy had briefly proposed creating a new diversion program for felons caught with guns who had no history of violent offenses, but he later dropped the idea amid Republican outrage. Sexton, a Republican from Crossville, has since said he is exploring the possibility of removing Mulroy from office.
“In light of the recent actions of the progressive, lenient District Attorney in Shelby County and the ongoing efforts of the Memphis City Council to override state law through local action, we believe it is necessary to take action and protect the rights and freedoms of all Tennessee citizens,” Sexton said in a statement Monday. “We hope they will change course immediately.”
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