Lawmakers threaten Memphis’ sales tax revenue due to city’s gun control efforts

MEMPHIS, Tenn. ( WREG ) — A bombshell was dropped on Monday by two of the state’s top Republicans.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally said the City of Memphis could lose its share of state sales tax revenue over its efforts to “take a shot” at Tennessee’s gun laws .

Last month, the city council approved a referendum that would allow the public to vote on amending the city charter, requiring anyone carrying a gun in Memphis to have a permit.

If approved by voters in November, the ballot measure would also ban the local sale of assault weapons, allow judges to temporarily take weapons from people who are at risk of harming themselves or others and require gun owners to keep their weapons locked up while they’re traveling through Memphis.

On August 26, Sexton and McNally released a joint statement, threatening to withhold state sales tax revenue because of the effort.

“If Memphis leaders do not want to participate within the state and state laws, then they do not need to participate in the state’s successes,” they said.

The two lawmakers hope to see Memphis drop its gun control measure sometime soon.

Critics, like State Representative Justin J. Pearson, called holding tax money hostage “illegal.”

W e will update this story as more information becomes available.

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