Skip Matheny

In the last week, we’ve seen two landmark developments in firearm safety.

First: On June 21, the U.S. Supreme Court found, in what will become a historic 8-1 ruling, that “[w]hen an individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another, that individual may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment.”

This ruling is great news for advancing temporary transfer laws, one of Safer TN’s three policy priorities. 

Second: On June 25, the U.S Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory on firearm violence in America, declaring it an urgent public health crisis that “require[s] the nation’s immediate awareness and action.”  

This advisory brought to light compelling data on firearm injury and death, and the impact the threat of violence has had on our nation’s well-being and mental health. 

Keep reading for more details on these two major developments. 

Sincerely,

Erin Rogus
Policy Director
Voices for a Safer Tennessee

Landmark Supreme Court Ruling: United States v. Rahimi

The June 21 ruling in United States v. Rahimi was the court’s first substantial Second Amendment case since Bruen nearly two years ago. 

It’s important because:

• It overturns a dangerous lower court ruling that would have allowed those with domestic violence restraining orders to be armed.
• It will serve as an important case to support the constitutionality of temporary transfer laws, which 21 states have effectively adopted. Temporary transfer laws remove access to firearms temporarily, through a court-ordered process, for those who are in a period of crisis and pose a credible threat to themselves or others.
  • Studies show these laws reduce firearm suicides by as much as 13% and can be effective in stopping threats of mass violence.
• The ruling also clarifies the standard that lawmakers must meet for firearm regulation to satisfy constitutional scrutiny. The court held that judges do not have to find a nearly identical provision or so-called “historical twin” to justify a contemporary firearm regulation (as some have suggested following Bruen), but rather that modern laws can be based on “relevantly similar” historic firearm regulations.

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U.S. Surgeon General’s First-Ever Advisory on Firearm Violence 

This week, the U.S Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory on firearm violence in America, declaring it an urgent public health crisis that requires immediate action. The Advisory does not have the force of law, but past Surgeon General’s Advisories on issues like the dangers of tobacco have led to meaningful policy changes, increased public awareness and behavior change. 

The Advisory shares the latest data on firearm injury and death in our nation. Some of the most compelling data points include: 

• Beginning in 2020, firearm injury has become the leading cause of death for American children, surpassing motor vehicle accidents for the first time in history.
• Nearly one in five American adults report having a family member who was killed by a firearm, including by suicide.
• The U.S. has reached a near three-decade high in firearm-related deaths.

These preventable deaths are making our nation feel less safe:

• Four out of five (79%) adults in the U.S. report “experiencing stress from the possibility of a mass shooting, and half of 14-17 year olds in America reportedly worry about school shootings

We are an outlier compared to other nations:

• Looking at 29 high-income countries in 2015, more than 9 in 10 children (ages 0‑14) who died from firearm‑related injuries lived in the United States.
• We have a firearm death rate that’s 11.4 times higher than that of these other 28 nations.

This morning, Safer TN issued a news release in response to U.S. v. Rahimi and the Surgeon General’s Advisory.  Read our release here. 

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New State Firearm Safety Laws Take Effect July 1

Key legislation limiting access to firearms for some people will become effective at the start of July. These bills, supported by Safer TN, were passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee.

• Juvenile offenders who have been convicted of certain violent crimes will be banned from purchasing or owning firearms until they reach age 25.
• Defendants deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial will be barred from buying or possessing firearms and will be committed for mental health treatment if deemed a threat to themselves or the community.

Safer TN Community Presence Events

This summer, Safer TN is joining in at local festivals, parades, weekend sports, and other community events. We recently had a presence at the Murfreesboro Saturday Market, the Walnut Street Bridge Festival in Chattanooga and the Market Street Juneteenth Festival in Lebanon.

Our coalition members will be at upcoming events in Dickson (June 29), Murfreesboro (June 29) and Sewanee (July 4). Click here for more info and join us! 

And if you have an upcoming event where you’d like to see a Safer TN presence, share the event details and we’ll reach out to you to discuss next steps. 

Independence Day – Show Your Safer TN Swag! 

Wear your Safer TN button at 4th of July celebrations and parades! Tag @voices4safertn on social for a chance to win a free Safer TN car magnet. 

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Remember to Vote! 

Tennessee has the LOWEST voter turnout in the nation – meaning the elected officials who are making vital decisions about our firearm safety laws are elected by only a small fraction of Tennesseans. Tuesday, July 2 is the deadline to register to vote in the August 1 primary election. Confirm that your registration is current here, and encourage friends and family to do the same. 

Check out our list of upcoming key election & voting dates below:

The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence in America offers compelling evidence that secure storage of firearms saves lives. The Tennessee Department of Safety is offering free gun cable locks in every county; find where to pick one up here. 

Supreme Court upholds bar on guns under domestic-violence restraining orders (SCOTUSblog)

US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health crisis (AP News)

Police say active shooter suspect’s gun misfired when he tried to shoot coworkers (Local3 News Chattanooga) 

Children shot on I-240 face long road to recovery, mother says (Fox13 Memphis)

Supreme Court nixes ban on bump stocks for guns (Politico)

Podcast: A Novel Legal Strategy for Mass Shooting Victims’ Families (The Daily)

The Gun Lobby’s Hidden Hand in the 2nd Amendment Battle (New York Times)