Gov. Bill Lee, Nov. 20, 2023
Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters
Gov. Bill Lee will not propose a renewed extreme risk protection order bill when the Tennessee General Assembly returns in January.
Lee addressed the gun safety measure during a Monday event at which he and First Lady Maria Lee handed out free Thanksgiving meals to veterans in Nashville.
Prompted by a question from a Tennessee reporter, the governor said that while he won’t push for ERPO legislation — also known as red-flag laws — he is “looking for an opportunity in this next session to continue to work on public safety.”
Following March’s deadly Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Lee offered proposed language that would have allowed guns to be confiscated from someone for up to 180 days following a court ruling that the person was a risk to public safety based on their mental health. Lee’s proposal was met with Republican opposition prior to the start of an August special session ostensibly called to address gun reform. The special session resulted in little action related to gun violence or public safety.
“The special session produced a lot of bills that I suspect we’re going to see again in the regular session to look at ways to provide a safer environment in Tennessee,” Lee said. “The General Assembly is very interested in that. “We should never stop talking about public safety, and I suspect we won’t.”
