After lengthy debate, city votes 6-3: no guns in parks

During committee reports, alderman Bob Kirk presented the minutes from a joint committee meeting of the Public Safety and Recreation committees and moved the full city board accept a recommendation that the city opt out of the state guns in parks legislation. Alderman Dennis Moody added a second and the issue opened to a lengthy discussion.

Alderman Kevin Chaney spoke against opting out of the legislation that allows residents who hold handgun carry permits to bring their weapons into parks within the city limits, stating that opting out of the new law punishes residents who have done nothing wrong.

"I don't understand this," said Chaney. "(The state keeps) strict records on (the permit holders). You are really protecting the public from people who have broken no laws. This involves a lot. I want you to give it a lot of thought."

"I would like to say that nobody would argue with an individual property owner or bar owner if he put up a sign saying no guns were allowed in his home or business," said alderman Bart Williams. "As a board, we are the custodians of that decision. It is just easier for a policeman to see a gun in the park and know that person is breaking the law."

"When the founding fathers came up with rights they thought no government should be able to take away, the second thing they thought of was the right to bear arms," said Matt Coker. "If we look at the people who would be affected by this law, it's not going to be drug dealers, gang bangers or thieves. It's going to be the mom walking in the park, the dad watching his kids play, the woman afraid of the serial rapist. If you look at where mass shootings take place, they are in schools, colleges, parks and shopping malls. Criminals are not stupid. They know where law-abiding citizens cannot carry guns."

Coker said that in his research of FBI, TBI and US Justice Department files, he only found one instance where a resident with a handgun carry permit used their gun illegally in Tennessee.

"But every day in the state of Tennessee, there is someone who breaks the law with an illegal handgun," said Coker. "(When you are making your decision), please don't let us down."

After state legislators passed the Guns in Parks legislation, the Tennessee District Attorney General made a statement that the new law would not keep schools from utilizing local parks, but that residents with carry permits were not allowed to bring them into parks when a school group was present.

"If I understand this right, guns are prohibited when a school group uses the park," said Dyersburg Activity Center Director Andy Baker. "But the very next weekend, when I have 400 girls playing softball, it's OK. Why is the life of a school child more important than the life of a child in the community?

"I've been in the parks for 20 years," continued Baker. "Our job is not easy. When you let people have guns, it's going to be twice as hard - no, 10 times as hard. As someone who deals with this day in and day out, I'm begging you not to do this."

After several residents and board members took their turn to speak, Kirk called for the question. The motion was seconded, with board members participating in a roll call vote on whether or not to stop discussion and vote on the issue.

The board voted 5-3 to continue discussion. Kirk, Moody and Charles McCright voted to end the debate and vote on the issue. Williams, Freeman Dudley, Chaney, Shannon Walker and Lewis Norman voted to continue discussion. Mayor John Holden did not vote on the question.

"Here's some food for thought," said Walker. "If we were passing an ordinance stopping public hearings and taking away the community's right to free speech, do you think this courtroom would be full? Yes, it would."

"I do not see the purpose of having a gun in a park," said Matthew 25:40 Executive Director Amy Schmitt. "I would not feel comfortable to have my 15-year old son in the park (if handguns were allowed). We've all seen the heated arguments in those basketball games. I just think you are asking for trouble."

Schmitt's son, Eric, also spoke against allowing residents with concealed-weapon permits to carry guns into Dyersburg Parks.

"Sometimes, I hang out in the park with my friends," said Eric Schmidt. "I don't feel safe in a park with a gun."

"It's a sad state when we can point to an inanimate object and blame it for the reason we have crime," said Jimmy Anderson, who owns a gun shop in the area. "I have heard from all your constituents and you have an equal responsibility to represent those people. If you pass this ordinance, all you are going to do is vilify a person who has withstood an FBI background check. Criminals will not obey your ordinance. Otherwise, you could just pass an ordinance that says 'No More Crime.'"

Holden said that the vote to opt out will not change the situation for Dyersburg residents.

"A city ordinance was passed in 1978 that stated no firearms in parks," said Holden. "That has been on the city books for 31 years."

Resident Rusty Grill said he and his wife both have concealed-carry permits. He questioned the board on whether his wife would be breaking the law if she left her gun in the car while taking a break at the park during her lunch break. Officials agreed she would.

"So then, if she visits the park at lunch, she can't bring her gun and be protected the rest of the day," said Grill.

"I know that we are dealing in terrible times these days and that people are afraid," said Bruce Community Director Stuart Edmonds. "But in a park, we just can't think of ourselves. Things can easily escalate. There are other ways to do things. If my wife felt unsafe, I would just go with her to the park to make her feel better. We don't need to add guns to our community. We need to take guns away from our community."

"The people who are going to be carrying handguns in the parks are not the ones that are going to be committing crimes," said Jonathan Keeling. "We are on a slippery slope with our gun rights. If we outlaw guns in the parks, we need to outlaw baseball bats."

"If you pass this tonight, the only people who will have guns in this area are the criminals," said resident Steve Shannon.

During the discussion, City Attorney Christine Coronado and new Dyersburg Police Chief Art Heun were asked their opinions, as well.

Finally, board members requested a vote again and no more residents answered Holden's invitation to speak on the issue. McCright requested a roll call vote at the beginning of the discussion, then refused to be the first to vote.

City Recorder Gleyn Twilla began again at the other end of the bench and the motion to opt out of state legislation allowing residents with carry permits to bring handguns into public municipal parks, natural areas, historic parks, nature trails, campgrounds, forests, greenways, waterways or other similar public places passed 6-3, with the entire board present.

Board members voting in favor of opting out included Kirk, Williams, Moody, Norman, McCright and Holden. Those against opting out of the legislation were Dudley, Chaney and Walker.