Memphis putting gun control measures up to city voters

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis City Council approved a referendum Tuesday to ask voters whether they would support regulations on firearms in the city.

The slate of questions will appear on ballots for the Nov. 5 election. All council members present Tuesday voted in favor on the ordinance’s third and final reading.

Those questions ask voters whether they approve amending the city’s charter to require a handgun permit, restrict storage of guns in vehicles in many cases, ban assault weapons sales after Jan. 1, 2025 and enact extreme risk protection orders.

The language is below:

QUESTION NO. 1:
Shall the Charter of the City of Memphis be amended to read:

1. No person shall be allowed to carry a handgun in the City of Memphis without possessing a
   valid handgun carry permit.
2. No person shall be allowed to carry, store, or travel with a handgun in a vehicle in the City of Memphis without possessing a valid handgun permit.
3. It shall be unlawful for a person to store a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or firearm
   ammunition, in a motor vehicle or boat while the person is not in the motor vehicle or boat unless the firearm or firearm ammunition is kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, utility or glove box, or a locked container securely affixed to the motor vehicle or boat.

QUESTION NO. 2:
Shall the Charter of the City of Memphis be amended to read:

1. The citizens of Memphis hereby find and declare that the proliferation and use of assault
   weapons pose a threat to the health, safety, and security of all citizens of Memphis.
2. Hereafter, it shall be unlawful and prohibited for a person to possess or carry, openly or
   concealed, any assault rifles in the City of Memphis. Persons with valid handgun permits are
   exempt from this restriction when possessing or carrying an assault rifle on their privately owned property or at a shooting range.
3. Hereafter, the commercial sale of assault rifles within the City of Memphis is unlawful and is
   hereby prohibited.
4. The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to the commercial sale of assault rifles to:
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   4.1 Any federal, state, local law enforcement agency;
   4.2 The United States Armed Forces or department or agency of the United States;
   4.3 Tennessee National Guard, or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a state; or
   4.4 A Law Enforcement Officer.
5. Pre-existing owners that can demonstrate that the commercial sale of an assault rifle was
   completed prior to the Effective Date of January 1, 2025, which means that prior to January 1,
   2025, the purchaser completed an application, passed a background check, and has a receipt or
   purchase order for said purchase, without regard to whether the purchaser has actual physical
   possession of the Assault Rifle, shall be considered a pre-existing purchaser.

QUESTION NO. 3:
Deals with Extreme Risk Protection Orders, which would prohibit someone from possessing, using, or purchasing a firearm if there is a risk of harm to another person.

Measures like these have been consistently voted down in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Memphis City Council began considering a referendum on gun control last May, saying the city of more than 600,000 residents faced a situation unique among Tennessee’s more rural towns and counties.

“What’s good for 97 other counties is not right for us, and we’re being abandoned by current laws and we’re bleeding for it. It’s a public health emergency,” said Councilman Jeff Warren, who sponsored the referendum, last year.

Memphis recorded a record 398 homicides last year, the third record set in four years.

Some city officials, including those in law enforcement, have placed part of the blame for the increase in killings on recent state laws allowing guns to be stored in vehicles, among other measures that expanded gun carry rights.

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