Republican Rep. James "Micah" Van Huss, right, listens to Rep. Matthew Hill on Monday, March 18, 2013 during a House floor session in Nashville, Tenn. Van Huss, a former active duty Marine, is sponsoring a bill that would limit the use of unmanned drones by law enforcement agencies. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

SHARE

By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE — Tennessee soon will apparently have an official state rifle with the door open for an official state pistol or shotgun as well at some point in the future.

A resolution designating the Barrett Model M82/M107 as Tennessee's official state rifle was approved in the House last year 74-9 with a smattering of vocal bipartisan opposition — under sponsorship of Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Jonesborough, a Marine veteran who carried the weapon during a tour of duty in Iraq.

It was unanimously approved in the Senate State and Local Government Committee last week with Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, hailing the gun as one that has saved lives of both American soldiers and innocent civilians even though it's widely known as a "sniper rifle." The resolution is now on today's Senate "consent calendar" — a list of noncontroversial measures approved without discussion. Barring a senator's objection, it is thus assured of approval.

Van Huss initially last year proposed that the Barrett .50 caliber rifle be designated as Tennessee official "state firearm." But he dropped that notion and instead came up with having it designated as the official rifle.

One objection raised in the House was that the proposal — — HJR231 — amounts to a state-sanctioned endorsement of one manufacturer's product over others. In particular, it was noted that Beretta Inc. recently invested millions of dollars in a gun manufacturing plant at Clarksville.

Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mount Juliet, said Beretta is a "fine company" making fine firearms, but is better known for its pistols and shotguns. She suggested a future resolution could designate a Berretta-manufactured handgun as Tennessee's official state pistol.

The Barrett rifle designation, she said, "honors Tennessee's ingenuity in manufacturing." The weapon was developed by Ronnie Barrett, founder and owner of Murfreesboro-based Barret Firearms, whose wife, Donna, is a former state representative.

Briggs, who served as an Army physician in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he had received emails objecting that the state would pay homage to a "sniper rifle" primarily used to kill people. But the senator said he personally witnessed situations in which the Barrett M82 was used to "detonate ordinance" and thus avoid casualties.

"It can be used to disable vehicles without killing the occupants of that vehicle. It not only saves American lives, it may even save innocent civilian lives," Briggs said.

School Vouchers

As a prelude to last week's anticipated House floor vote on school vouchers, a pro-voucher group aired radio advertisements suggesting that Rep. Dale Carr, R-Sevierville, was being influenced "by the same national labor union that endorsed Hillary Clinton" — an apparent reference to the National Education Association, known as the teachers' union.

Carr said the ads did not influence him in his opposition to vouchers, even on the proposed "pilot project" limited basis that would not impact Sevier County. Carr said he believes vouchers would drain money from public education, already underfunded, and a limited voucher program would be a matter of "letting the camel's nose under the tent" toward a future expansion that would impact all areas of the state.

As it turned out, the voucher bill never came to a vote on the House floor. Sponsor Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, told the Times-Free Press that there were 48 hard votes for the measure, but he could see no way of getting the 50 needed for passage. He said "lies" spread by opponents — including the Tennessee Education Association, an affiliate of NEA — were a factor.

The ads targeting Carr were sponsored by American Federation for Children. The group's Tennessee state director, Tony Niknejad, did not return a call Friday seeking comment. But in a news release, he declared the voucher advocacy group "remains confident" that the bill will be approved by the House this year despite last week's setback. Officially, it is being "held on the desk" of the House and Dunn could bring it back for another try — though the lawmaker says the prospects appear doubtful.