With former US Senator and Majority Leader Bill Frist bowing out of the 2010 gubernatorial election in Tennessee, a trio of front runners have jumped into the race to replace two term Governor Phil Bredesen. Squeezing in between current US Rep. Zach Wamp (East TN’s 3rd District) and Shelby County (Memphis) District Attorney Bill Gibbons is Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. Also rumored to be considering a jump into the fray is US Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Middle TN’s 7th District, Southe and West of Nashville).

This sounds like a strong set of candidates for the Governor’s Mansion, but we have a problem. Haslam signed onto New York Mayor Bloomberg’s ill named “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.” In a radio interview (comments on guns start at about the 9:25 mark) Haslam sought to distance himself from Bloomberg, but the effort sounds squishy. Here at Pax we think that if Haslam wants our support (we are Tennesseans) he should withdraw from that group and denounce efforts to remove firearms from law abiding citizens, which several of the “six points” or “principles” are aimed at doing, particularly point two.

Point two is simply the continued effort by the hoplophobes at targeting firearms dealers and make possible suits that would close them down and remove a viable source for law abiding folks to exercise their 2am rights. “Target and hold accountable irresponsible gun dealers who break the law by knowingly selling guns to straw purchasers.

Also troubling are points three, four, and five which, if enacted, would simply be and end run to Federal gun registration. In addition to linking databases that current Federal law prohibits, they wish to enact “ammo tagging” which would increase ammo prices astronomically and price 2am rights out of the common citizen’s reach.

Further reading:
From SayUncle:

Looks like the Tennessee Gubernatorial race is getting underway with the two contenders on the Republican side looking to be Zach Wamp and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. AC doesn’t see Wamp getting too far because of money. You’ll recall that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is a member of the Joyce Foundation funded, anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, headed up by Bloomberg.

His membership in an anti-gun group will play a part in his run for governor, assuming the local press decides to cover it. To my knowledge, they have not.

Also see:
More SayUncle
Pith In The Wind
MetroPulse

Cross Posted at Pax Parabellum