To the tune of much fanfare and debate, Governor Haslam signed Senate Bill 142 into state law today, effectively granting automobiles the right to possess firearms as a means of protection while their drivers are at work.
“It’s always been a travesty that we have forced cars to just sit around all day without any means of protecting themselves” said GOP State Senator Colby Mathers of West Tennessee. “Cars should not be excluded from the Second Amendment any more than people should. If a car owner has to spend all day working in an office, a factory, a restaurant, or wherever, their automobile should be allowed the peace of mind that they can legally use their owner’s gun to defend against car thieves, vandals, and rogue shopping carts.”
Senate Bill 142, more commonly referred to as the “Guns in Cars” or “Guns in Parking Lots” bill, has been a political football for years. Effectively, it prohibits employers from denying their workers the option of keeping personal firearms in a vehicle when licensed weapons are not allowed in the workplace. The failure of the bill to pass last year invoked the wrath of the National Rifle Association, leading them to effectively seek the defeat of GOP State Rep. Debra Maggart in 2012’s Primaries. While business groups sought to continue blocking SB142, citing an employer’s right to decide what goes on in their own workplace, the unrivalled political campaign funding and pressure from the NRA ultimately won out; that victory was sealed today when Governor Haslam made this law official.
Of course, most Gun Rights Advocates claim this is not just an issue of whining about the inconvenience of having to merely go home and get their gun after work. Rather, most supporters of the bill claim that this is simply what’s best for their car. “It makes me feel better knowing that my car can shoot any d**n carjacker that comes at it” explained Andy Wilson, an Arby’s manager in Madison. “I’ve been taking my Chevy out to the gun range to let it practice with targets for a while, and I gotta say, it’s got a sharp eye. Somebody tries to come up and steal ‘er, or even just slash her tires, I know that my Corvette can take sumbitch down, and do so legally. That’s a real comforting feeling.”
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Gun in car image found at http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/16913355/parking-lot-gun-bill-would-apply-to-public-sector
The Rhinestone 