Top Republican leaders in Tennessee on Monday have threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state funding from left-leaning Memphis.
The threat was issued because Memphis leaders have made plans to include three local gun control initiatives on the ballot in November alongside the presidential election.
Permits, Bans, and “Red Flags”
Memphis city council supported asking voters in November if they sought to change the city charter earlier this year.
The change would involve requiring permits in order to carry a handgun, banning the possession of AR-15 style rifles, and enforcing “red flag” ordinance which lets law enforcement officials remove firearms from those who present themselves in immediate danger to themselves or others.
“Roll the Dice”
The city council had been looking into voting measures for over a year, recognizing on occasion that they were possibly gambling with the wrath of the conservative predominant Legislature since the measures would probably conflict with Tennessee’s less strict gun laws
In any case, city council individuals addressing the state’s most populous and Black-majority region said they were ready to “roll the dice.”
“Opportunity for Citizens”
“This is an opportunity for citizens in Memphis to speak,” Councilman Chase Carlisle said during a board meeting in 2023 when the actions were first being thought of.
“Whether it’s enforceable by the constitution or not, I think, is moot. I think it’s an opportunity for the General Assembly, whether they choose to listen or not, to understand where we are as a municipality. And to give voice to the people.”
City and County Prohibitions
Carlisle continued, “We’ll roll the dice. If the General Assembly wants to punish us and punish our citizens for asking for their help, we will deal with that accordingly but that would be absolutely heartbreaking.”
In May of this year, local cities and counties were prohibited from enacting their own red flag laws after Republican lawmakers and GOP Gov. Bill Lee approved permitless handgun carry in 2021.
Rejected Calls to Limit Firearms
After a gunman killed three adults and three children as young as nine years old in a private school in Nashville last year, many members of that same Republican supermajority have rejected calls to limit firearms.
With Election Day under 90 days away, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Speaker Randy McNally gave an assertion Monday cautioning Memphis about the results of propelling ballot measures that conflict with the desires of the Statehouse.
Lack of Support
“The Tennessee Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of the state and local governments,” McNally, a conservative from Oak Edge, said in the statement. “Shelby County needs to understand that despite their hopes and wishes to the contrary, they are constrained by these explicit constitutional guardrails.”
After the statement was delivered, Secretary of State Tre Hargett cautioned that his office wouldn’t support Memphis’ ballot assuming it incorporated the firearm initiatives.
“No Authority”
Hargett stated, “Common sense says local governments can’t override state law to give a 12-year-old a driver’s license, and they can’t override other state laws either. Memphis has no authority to circumvent state law.”
He went on to say, “Our office will not approve a ballot with items already preempted by state law.”
“Up to the Voters”
From the state’s sales tax revenue, Memphis received nearly $78 million last year. The current budget for the city is $858 million.
Mayor Paul Young stated, “Guns pose a different risk for residents of Memphis than they do for some other municipalities, but we understand that we need to work with our state to determine a set of tools to restore peace in our community. What happens next is up to the voters and the legislative branches.”
Record Crime Rates
Individuals inside Tennessee’s white-majority Legislature have long scrutinized Memphis, especially the management of its crime rates, and communicated doubt over the reaction from Black city leaders.
There were a record 398 homicides in the city in 2023, and over 14,000 burglaries signalling the difficulties Memphis faces in managing its crime.
Comparative Figures
Nonetheless, as per early figures from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation delivered by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, the rate of reported crime in Memphis for the first half of 2024 stayed beneath the first portion of 2023 in practically all major categories.
This included violent crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault.
Traffic Stop Reforms
The violent crime percentage declined 5.1% in the first portion of the year contrasted with 2023, with every one of the four classifications showing decreases. The commission didn’t go into particulars on why the rates went down.
Trust broke down further this year when conservative legislators and the governor approved legislation intended to fix police traffic stop reforms set up after the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by officials last year.
The Legislature did not back down from challenges to overturn the legislation which would include outlawing so-called pretextual traffic stops for minor violations.
