Top prosecutors in Nashville and Memphis came out forcefully against Gov. Bill Lee's plan to allow Tennesseans to carry guns without a permit.

Lee's planned legislation, which he announced Thursday while flanked by Republican lawmakers, would allow legal gun owners to bypass the state permit process that requires a background check and safety training.

The governor framed his effort to reduce barriers to guns as a reflection of strict Second Amendment protections in the U.S. Constitution. He said it would make the state safer, a claim that clashed with law enforcement.

The National Rifle Association quickly praised the governor's proposal.

Within minutes of the announcement, Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk said Lee's plan would make the state a more dangerous place.

“Encouraging Tennesseans to arm themselves in public, without even requiring gun safety classes will result in a more dangerous environment for Tennessee families,” Funk, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Carrying a gun must come with responsibility.”

Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, a Republican, said she supported greater penalties for gun crimes, which Lee also announced Thursday. But she said Lee's permit proposal would "create incredible challenges for law enforcement.”

“Allowing permitless, open carry of firearms in a large urban area makes no sense," Weirich said in a statement. "Is it really asking too much for someone to get a permit to carry a deadly weapon on our streets? First it was guns in cars. Now it is guns in hands."

Law enforcement has spoken out forcefully as state lawmakers have made repeated moves to eliminate gun regulations in Tennessee.

In 2016, when an earlier push for permitless carry was introduced in the General Assembly, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Highway Patrol spoke out against it.

Former THP Col. Tracy Trott, who was against the plan in 2016, reiterated his opposition to Lee's latest efforts.

“I’m still against it," he said in a telephone interview. “I think it’s necessary to have background checks and training ...

“Guns are dangerous weapons."

Federal law requires background checks for most gun purchases.

Trott said the additional background check currently required for permits helps address loopholes that allow some people to skip background checks when they buy guns.

Training ensures that people who are carrying guns on Tennessee streets know how to use them safely, he said.

“We have a good law in Tennessee that works well, and I don’t see any reason to change it," Trott said.

Trott predicted the new legislation could make work harder for officers.

“Definitely more people will have guns in their possession and that always presents a danger to any law enforcement officer," Trott said, explaining that officers often work with people in stress

“Propensity for violence could be increased if more people have guns in those situations," he said.

Micaela Watts in Memphis contributed to this report.

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and atamburin@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @tamburintweets.