The National Rifle Association is putting pressure on Tennessee Republican lawmakers to abandon proposed limits on a bill that would allow workers to keep firearms in vehicles parked on their employers’ lots, according to an article in The Republic.
The lawmakers are proposing exempting some businesses from the law, after vocal opposition from business groups and Tennessee police chiefs. The bill would apply to any legally owned firearm, according to the article, in any private or public parking lot, including those at colleges and schools.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Faulk, has delayed the bill for a week, saying in the article: “I would prefer the pristine bill that’s been filed. It makes it abundantly clear than an employee who … has the right to a firearm can carry it to work and from work to defend themselves going and coming."
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam considers the measure “a little too broad,” the article says. “Republicans favor property rights, and Republicans are in favor of Second Amendment rights,” Haslam says. “So sometimes our job is to try to find the right balance.”
The NRA’s chief lobbyist, Chris W. Cox, on the other hand, is vehemently arguing against any changes to the bill, stating in a letter: "When businesses invite the public on their property, they surrender some rights to ensure the safety of their customers. If these businesses cannot guarantee safety in publicly accessible parking lots, members of the public must be able to defend themselves."