Subject: Tennessee Firearms Association PRESS RELEASEFrom: "TFALAC" <tfalac@tennesseefirearms.com>Date: 4/29/2014 9:14 AMTo: "Tenn Firearms Press Releases" <tfalac@tennesseefirearms.com>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE4/29/14

TFA Launches 'Open Records' Request Regarding

Legislative Shenanigans Against

Pro-Gun Legislation

Suspicion of concerted effort to kill pro-gun bills in2014 legislative session

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Firearms Association has filed and will be filing additional open records requestsin the coming days over the death of multiple pro-gun bills in the state House during the final hours of legislativesession. Two specific bills that were killed in the legislature under suspicious circumstances by the Republicanleadership include 'Guns in Parks' (HB1407) and 'Open Carry' (HB2409).

"The time for transparency is now" John Harris, Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association quipped."The questionable circumstances in which these two pro-gun bills were killed leads us to believe there was aconcerted effort by Republican leadership in the state House to ensure there would be no floor vote on these verypopular and necessary changes in the law."

Open Carry (HB2409) was killed after a questionable fiscal note was attached and an erroneous statement given tothe Finance Sub Committee by TN Dept of Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons, an appointee of Bill Haslam. Guns inParks (HB1407) was rolled after the budget with an equally misleading and suspicious fiscal note then the FinanceSubcommittee refused to even hear it prior to the end of session.

"We see the fingerprints of Governor Haslam's office all over this shenanigans" Harris continued. "The Governoropenly opposed both bills and worked with House leadership to kill these bills behind the scenes. We want to knowwho, when, and why this happened. There are a lot of serious questions about very suspicious costs estimates beput onto legislation by House leadership or the Governor's administration when the legislation itself did not requirethe state to spend any money to implement those proposed laws."

The Tennessee Firearms Associations has already filed an open records request with the Department of Safetywhich is the source of the suspicious fiscal estimates on the 'Open Carry' law. It is also considering additional openrecords requests as they relate to HB2409 and HB1407 with the following offices:

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- Governor Bill Haslam's office- TN Department of Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons' office- House Speaker Beth Harwell's office- House Finance Committee Chairman Charles Sargent's office- House Finance Subcommittee Chairman Michael Harrison's office- House Clerk Joe McCord's office- House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick- Rep Steve McDaniel- Rep Tilman Goins- Rep Micah Van Huss

When laws are made in the back rooms that are inhabited only by the Governor's administration and legislativeleadership, misdeeds are more easily concealed. Even open records requests may never reveal the truth behind theshenanigans that seemed to impact not just firearms related laws but others this year in the Tennessee GeneralAssembly and in particularly in the House Finance Committee and its subcommittee.

The Tennessee Firearms Association was founded in 1995 and formed to defend the right to keep and bear armsand to educate the citizenry on the responsible use, ownership and carrying of firearms. The TFA is Tennessee'sonly no-compromise gun group.

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