Tennessee GOP leadership threatens Memphis sales tax revenue over gun-reform ballot measures

Tennessee's legislative Republican leadership on Monday threatened to create a new state law to withhold state sales tax from Memphis and Shelby County, an unprecedented move to enact a heavy financial penalty if the city goes through with a ballot referendum on gun-related issues.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, issued a joint statement threatening the hefty financial penalty on Monday, the latest salvo in an ongoing power struggle between GOP and Memphis and Shelby County leaders over criminal justice policy.

The threat comes as Memphis voters will face three referendums that city leaders say are not intended to restrict gun ownership but enact safer gun handling policies. The ballot measures conflict with state law amid a Republican effort in recent years to relax gun access measures, in addition to clashing with a new law blocking local governments from passing any sort of "red flag" law to block dangerous individuals from owning or purchasing a gun.

Leadership made the threat in a news release from Sexton's office, which said the legislature will "not tolerate any attempts to go rogue and perform political sideshows."

In the statement, Sexton criticized the Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and the Memphis City Council for what he called "continued efforts to override state law with local measures" and said leadership felt it "necessary to take action and protect all Tennesseans' rights and liberties."

"We hope they will change course immediately," Sexton said.

Voters in Memphis will vote whether to change the city charter to block handgun carry within the city without a permit and to block unpermitted handguns from being carried or stored inside a vehicle.

A second ballot question would make it illegal to carry assault rifles within Memphis, with the exception of those with valid handgun permits on privately owned property or a shooting range, and would ban the commercial sale of assault rifles. Law enforcement and armed forces would be exempt from the ordinance.

Related: Memphis voters will face these ballot questions in November |The Week in Politics

The third question would create a "red flag" law, or extreme order of protection, that could block the purchase of a firearm if probable cause was found that the purchase posed "a significant danger or extreme risk of personal injury or death to the respondent or another person."

It's unclear how exactly the Tennessee General Assembly could withhold sales tax from one of the state's largest local governments, but the leadership announcement said if a city does "not want to participate within the state and state laws, then they do not need to participate in the state’s successes."

"The Tennessee Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of the state and local governments," McNally said. "Shelby County needs to understand that despite their hopes and wishes to the contrary, they are constrained by these explicit constitutional guardrails."

The unusual statement from both leaders comes amid ongoing debates over gun reform in Tennessee, but it also comes as campaign season ramps up in one of the most competitive districts in the state. Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, faces Democrat Jesse Huseth in November.

Democrats were critical of the threat by the two Republican leaders.

"The people of Memphis, like those in other large cities across Tennessee, are desperate for solutions to reduce gun violence," Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, said in a statement. "What we need now is a good faith partnership with the state, not threats that jeopardize our already scant funding resources.The current one-size-fits-all, top-down approach to gun violence isn’t working," she said. "Our communities need more tools to address the unique challenges we face, and these ballot reforms are a step in that direction. Rather than imposing punitive measures, I urge my colleagues at the state level to work with us to ensure the safety and well-being of all Tennesseans."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee GOP leadership threatens Memphis sales tax revenue over gun-reform ballot measures