TN: HB 1971 Would Block Challenges to Unconstitutional Gun Laws – TAKE ACTION

February 19, 2026
2:35 pm

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Tennessee lawmakers are at it again, this time with HB 1971—a sneaky bill that doesn't just protect bad laws, it shields unconstitutional gun restrictions from the judicial scrutiny they deserve. Buried in the rhetoric of streamlining legal processes, this legislation would slam the door on preemptive challenges to state statutes, forcing gun owners to wait until they're arrested, fined, or dragged into court before contesting a law's constitutionality. Right now, Tennesseans enjoy a straightforward path under current law to question suspect statutes—like assault weapon bans or carry restrictions—before they become weapons of enforcement. HB 1971 flips that script, essentially telling 2A advocates: Prove it after the cuffs are on. It's a masterclass in legislative insulation, designed to let anti-gun measures fester unchallenged while bureaucrats and prosecutors play judge, jury, and executioner. This isn't hyperbole; it's a direct assault on the post-Bruen landscape where SCOTUS has armed citizens with clearer standards for shall-issue carry and historical analogues for self-defense rights. Think about the implications: Tennessee's already flirting with red-flag laws and magazine limits that skirt Bruen's historical-tradition test. Without easy facial challenges, orgs like FPC or GOF could be bogged down in as-applied lawsuits, draining resources and letting flawed laws linger for years. It's the same playbook states like California use to zombie-walk their gun bans through endless litigation—death by a thousand procedural cuts. For the 2A community, this means higher stakes in Volunteer State battles; a single upheld restriction could ripple to neighboring red states, emboldening copycats. Gun owners, this is your wake-up call—HB 1971 isn't about efficiency, it's about entrenching tyranny under the guise of order. Hit the phones, flood your reps' inboxes, and rally at the capitol. Contact info and bill tracker at [Tennessee General Assembly](https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1971). We've struck down enough unconstitutional nonsense post-Heller and Bruen; don't let Nashville rewrite the rules to protect their favorites. Stand now, or kneel later.

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Tennessee lawmakers are at it again, this time with HB 1971—a sneaky bill that doesn’t just protect bad laws, it shields unconstitutional gun restrictions from the judicial scrutiny they deserve. Buried in the rhetoric of streamlining legal processes, this legislation would slam the door on preemptive challenges to state statutes, forcing gun owners to wait until they’re arrested, fined, or dragged into court before contesting a law’s constitutionality. Right now, Tennesseans enjoy a straightforward path under current law to question suspect statutes—like assault weapon bans or carry restrictions—before they become weapons of enforcement. HB 1971 flips that script, essentially telling 2A advocates: Prove it after the cuffs are on. It’s a masterclass in legislative insulation, designed to let anti-gun measures fester unchallenged while bureaucrats and prosecutors play judge, jury, and executioner.

This isn’t hyperbole; it’s a direct assault on the post-Bruen landscape where SCOTUS has armed citizens with clearer standards for shall-issue carry and historical analogues for self-defense rights. Think about the implications: Tennessee’s already flirting with red-flag laws and magazine limits that skirt Bruen’s historical-tradition test. Without easy facial challenges, orgs like FPC or GOF could be bogged down in as-applied lawsuits, draining resources and letting flawed laws linger for years. It’s the same playbook states like California use to zombie-walk their gun bans through endless litigation—death by a thousand procedural cuts. For the 2A community, this means higher stakes in Volunteer State battles; a single upheld restriction could ripple to neighboring red states, emboldening copycats.

Gun owners, this is your wake-up call—HB 1971 isn’t about efficiency, it’s about entrenching tyranny under the guise of order. Hit the phones, flood your reps’ inboxes, and rally at the capitol. Contact info and bill tracker at [Tennessee General Assembly](https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1971). We’ve struck down enough unconstitutional nonsense post-Heller and Bruen; don’t let Nashville rewrite the rules to protect their favorites. Stand now, or kneel later.

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