The concept of having an official state firearm is a relatively new one, with Utah being the first to do it in 2011, declaring the venerable M1911 pistol to be official gun of the Beehive State. Six other states have joined in, mostly focusing on historic firearms, like Arizona picking the Colt Single Action Army revolver, or Pennsylvania selecting the Colonial-era long rifle.

Tennessee, however, decided to go big or go home; it's named the .50 Cal Barrett M82 Rifle as its official state firearm. The state Senate approved a measure naming the hulking anti-materiel rifle 27 to 1 on Wednesday, in honor of the rifle being manufactured by Tennessee-based Barrett Firearms Manufacturing.

The M82 is a fearsome, fearsome gun. Chambering a bullet that looks more suited for light artillery than a rifle, the Light Fifty has an effective range of 1,800 meters, or about 1.1 miles. It's beloved by snipers across the world, and is currently used by armed forces in over 50 countries.

Tennessee considered following what other states had done, and picking something a bit more demure and vintage, like a flintlock rifle or the Kentucky rifle, but state lawmakers were having none of it. "The flintlock was developed in France by a Frenchman. The Kentucky long rifle was developed in Pennsylvania by German and Swedish men," said state senator Mae Beavers, speaking to the Times Free Press. "So I think it's only right that we honor the ingenuity that Ronnie Barrett has had to develop this rifle."

Source: Outdoors Hub

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