TN Republican leaders threaten to withhold Memphis’ sales tax revenue over gun control referendum

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee Republican leaders are threatening to take money away from Memphis if city leaders move forward with a council-approved measure to put a referendum regarding gun control on the November ballot.

Last month, Memphis City Council approved a plan to add a list of questions about gun control, including whether voters want to change the city’s charter to require permits for guns, ban assault weapons sales, and enact red flag laws in Memphis.

“They don’t have the capability of doing referendums like this. We don’t do referendums like this on the ballot; never have in Tennessee’s history,” Speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said.

📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →

In response to Memphis’ referendum plan, Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) issued a joint statement Monday threatening to withhold state-shared sales tax revenue from any local municipality that attempts to circumvent state law.

While Memphis city leaders argue the referendum would act as a “trigger law” and only go in effect if TN’s gun laws ever changed, Sexton told News 2 he believes that’s an excuse, and the measure is unnecessary.

“I think it’s just pure politics to be honest with you,” Sexton said. “When we’ve done trigger laws, we don’t put it on the ballot and run it statewide. We put it into the state law that says if this happens, we’ll do this. They can do that through the ordinance. They don’t need to go through the ballot, so I think this is them trying to backpedal to come up with some explanation of why they’re doing it because they got caught trying to do something they can’t.”

State Rep. Jesse Chism (D-Memphis) told News 2 the referendum is about more than politics — it’s about keeping the city safe.

“It’s always disappointing when you hear something punitive toward a city or a county that’s trying to protect itself, because again, gun violence has been such a thorn in our shoes that we have to do something,” Chism said.

House Minority Leader, Karen Camper (D-Memphis) sent a letter urging Sexton and McNally to reconsider threatening to withhold Memphis’ state-shared sales tax revenue.

“These proposals represent the will of the people, and their intent is clear: to protect and enhance the safety of our communities,” Leader Camper wrote. “Threatening to punish an entire
county for exercising its democratic right is not only unprecedented but sets a dangerous
precedent.”

“I believe if the referendum goes on the ballot, you’ll find out people do want these provisions, people do want safe storage, people do want to make sure people who have firearms are licensed and trained to have one,” Chism added.

However, the state may never find out either way.

Tennessee’s coordinator of elections, Mark Goins, sent a letter to the chairman of Shelby County’s Election Commissions and Shelby County Elections Commissioners declining to add the referendum to the ballot because he said it is preempted by state law. In addition, Memphis City Council did not meet the established deadline to add the questions to the ballot, according to Goins.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

In response, the chairman of Shelby County’s Election Commissions said he won’t put the referendum on the ballot.

Officials expect the issue to go to court.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.