Republican leadership in the Tennessee state legislature threatened Monday to pass a new law that would withhold state sales tax in Memphis, an unprecedented move that would impose a hefty fine if the city holds a referendum on gun issues.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) issued a joint statement Monday threatening a hefty fine, the latest salvo in an ongoing power struggle between the Republican Party and West Memphis politicians over criminal justice policy.
The threat comes as Memphis voters face three referendums that city leaders say are not aimed at restricting gun ownership but at enacting safer gun handling policies. The ballot measures conflict with state law, as Republicans have tried to loosen gun access measures in recent years. In addition, they conflict with a new law passed this year that prevents local governments from passing “red flag” laws that would prohibit dangerous individuals from owning or purchasing a gun.
The leadership made the threat in a press release from Sexton’s office, which said the legislature “will not tolerate attempts to act on its own initiative and engage in political sideshows.”
In his statement, Sexton criticized Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and the Memphis City Council for their “ongoing efforts to override state law through local action” and said leadership believes it is “necessary to take action and protect the rights and freedoms of all Tennessee citizens.”
“We hope they change course immediately,” Sexton said.
Voters in Memphis will vote on whether to amend the city constitution to prohibit the carrying of handguns without a permit within the city and to prohibit the carrying or storage of unlicensed handguns in vehicles.
A second ballot question would ban the carrying of assault rifles in Memphis, except by people with valid gun permits on private property or at shooting ranges, and prohibit the commercial sale of assault rifles. Police and military personnel would be exempt from the ordinance.
Related: These are the questions that Memphis voters will face in November | The week in politics
The third question would create a “red flag” law, or extreme protection order, that could prevent the purchase of a firearm if there is a reasonable suspicion that the purchase poses “a substantial danger or extreme risk of injury or death to the defendant or any other person.”
It is unclear exactly how the Tennessee General Assembly was able to withhold sales tax from one of the state’s largest local governments, but the leadership statement said that if a city “does not want to participate within the framework of state and federal law, then it does not have to share in the state’s successes.”
“The Tennessee State Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of state and local governments,” McNally said. “Shelby County must understand that, despite its hopes and desires to the contrary, it is bound by these explicit constitutional guardrails.”
The two politicians’ unusual statement comes amid ongoing debates over gun reform in Tennessee, but also at a time when the election campaign is getting underway in one of the state’s most competitive districts. Republican Representative John Gillespie of Memphis will face Democrat Jesse Huseht in November.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
