Tennessee Politics: Republicans Want Memphis to Stay Quiet on Guns

WKNO TRANSCRIPTION

CHRISTOPHER BLANK (HOST): Shelby County lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, are frustrated by the number of illegal guns on the streets. But that’s where the deal ends. Can the people of Memphis do something about it? Otis Sanford is back with us. Welcome back.

OTIS SANFORD: Thanks, Chris, it’s always nice to be with you.

BLANK: Okay, this is a developing story, but it started when the Memphis City Council wanted to ask voters whether there should be gun laws in the city, like a gun permit. Or not allowing people to walk around with assault rifles, which tends to scare people. But those proposals are inconsistent with state law. So the first question, Otis: Why are local lawmakers trying to ask voters these questions?

SANFORD: Well, because they want to put some pressure on the state legislature, even though it’s not going to make any difference. And they think they can do that by letting the voters have their say. They think Memphis voters will overwhelmingly support the three questions on the referendum. And even if they approve it, it won’t become law because state law has to be changed for it to happen. The city council, led by Dr. Jeff Warren, feels that this is a way to at least let the voters have their say and try to put some pressure on the legislature to let Memphis decide for itself whether it wants to change these rules.

BLANK: So even if we vote on these laws, it’s more of a symbolic vote. Why did Republicans come back and say, “Look, if you pass these laws, we’re going to withhold your sales taxes? We’re going to basically cut off your city’s funds.” Rep. Justin Pearson called that “economic terrorism.” Do they have the right to do that?

SANFORD: No, they don’t have the right to do that. It’s illegal. It’s unconstitutional. You can’t do that. It’s propaganda at its finest, Chris. But they’re threatening to do it simply because this is – and I’ve said this before – one of the most vindictive, narrow-minded state legislatures we’ve ever had in this state and probably in the country.

BLANK: Well, the last question was whether these referendums could be put on the ballot. And the Board of Elections said no, they can’t be put on the ballot. But the city says voters can vote on whatever they want. Whether the laws are enforceable or not is up to the courts to decide. And Otis, it seems like Republicans have recently passed a number of state laws, like the drag ban, that have been challenged in court. Shouldn’t Democrats be able to use the same tactic? You pass a law, you see if it gets accepted by a judge?

SANFORD: Sure. It’s a tried and true way to do things. It’s the height of hypocrisy to say that the city of Memphis can’t even put this issue to a vote, knowing that they don’t have to agree with it. They can just ignore it at their January meeting. But they don’t even want Memphis voters to have a say in this issue, just because they’re so gun-loving in Nashville.

BLANK: On a related note, there is a move underway to oust Shelby County Attorney General Steve Mulroy. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said in an op-ed this week that while Mulroy did nothing wrong, removing him from office sends a strong message to Shelby County voters. What is that message?

BLANK: The message is that “we Republicans can say it.” you people in Memphis” – and I use you people intentionally here – “we can tell you what to do”. We can tell you who you can have in power, and if we don’t like who you have in power, we can remove them from power.

BLANK: Well, finally, Republican Senator Brent Taylor is the spearhead of this impeachment campaign. He attacked one of his critics on Twitter (X) this week and then released confidential legal information, which could be a Class B misdemeanor. The person he was criticizing happens to be a lawyer, and now he’s calling for an investigation into Senator Taylor. Why is he losing his cool in the face of this impeachment campaign?

SANFORD: He was not only a lawyer, he was a prosecutor, he was a Republican. Chris, I think it’s time for Brent Taylor to step up. He’s losing his mind. And I don’t know what’s causing this. Maybe he got a dose of Republican serum somewhere. Or maybe he drank the Trump Kool-Aid. I don’t know what he did. But the problem here is Brent Taylor attacks everybody. Everybody who disagrees with him. I haven’t heard him attack me yet. Maybe he’ll do that now. But everybody who disagrees with him, whether it’s Mr. Agee, whether it’s Martin Luther King, whether it’s even the Commercial Appeal, which reprinted an article by Martin Luther King and Catherine Burgess. He attacks them viciously and uses social media to do it. What he did here was illegal. I think that some action should be taken, perhaps not necessarily criminal prosecution, but certainly some form of censorship, because he knows better than that. should I know it’s better not to post things like this on social media. It’s because he acted before thinking and he’s ashamed of himself for doing so.