An Open Letter to the Signal Mountain Town Council:

As many of you may be surprised to learn, despite my general center-left views on most political issues, I have an extensive background with firearms that began at a very early age. I have always been an outdoorsman, growing up hunting, fishing, camping, and shooting. As a young adult, I was an accomplished competitive marksman even participating in the US Olympic Shooting Program in the early 1980s. I am not a stereotypical right-wing, gun-toting, anti-government extremist (no offense to any of my friends who are). I am, however, a law-abiding Tennessee handgun carry permit holder who believes strongly in the rights of lawful citizens to carry a firearm if they so choose.

In addition to my life-long experience as a safe and careful firearm enthusiast, to become a Tennessee handgun carry permit holder, I had to take and pass a state-administered handgun safety course and submit to an extensive background check. So, too, did the other thousands of residents who are carry permit holders. We are not the people you should fear nor further regulate.

On the issue of guns in parks, I oppose the passing of any resolution that would infringe on my right to carry when and where I choose. My opposition to such a resolution is rooted in the following concepts which I discuss in greater detail below.

The decision of when and where to carry (or not carry) a firearm is inherently a very personal decision—a decision which is not the role of government.

A resolution to ban permit holders from carrying in parks would be ambiguous, difficult to enforce, and difficult to comply with.

A populace of legally armed citizens is safer than a populace where the lawful citizen is prohibited from being armed.

First, a decision to legally carry or not carry a firearm is a very personal decision. There are a vast number of reasons a person may choose to carry or not carry, but they are all personal. It should not be the role of government, particularly local government, to mandate this choice for responsible, law-abiding citizens. Role of government should be to protect individual rights while balancing this with the overall public good. Government should not limit the rights of citizens to protect themselves when and where they choose. In considering this resolution, you will be considering the restriction of my right to carry my firearm, and potentially protect myself and my family, on our towns trails and park lands if I so choose.

Take a hypothetical example of a Signal Mountain resident who has had threats placed upon their life or the life a family member. Perhaps this person has even gone to the extent of taking out a restraining order against the person or persons responsible for the threats. They consider the threats very real. They undertake the necessary training and procedures to obtain a carry permit. Should it be your role as a member of town council to prevent this person from protecting themselves and their family while on a day hike to Rainbow Lake? By passing a resolution to ban the Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit holders from exercising their right in our town’s parks, you would be doing exactly that.

Second, passing a resolution that would outlaw legally permitted gun owners from carrying in parks within the town would be an ambiguous decision creating a situation that is both difficult to enforce and difficult to be in compliance with. It may or may not come as a surprise to you that whether or not you pass this resolution, as a resident possessing a carry permit, I can legally place my firearm in its holster, strap it to my hip, leave my house, walk down my street, buy a bottle of water, continue through Old Town to Signal Point (NPS property), walk down the hill to the Cumberland Trail (State Park property), and continue on down the trail to Prentice Cooper State Forest. All of this is currently legal.

A resolution banning permit holders from carrying in parks would not change this. In fact, I can legally walk on any street in town while carrying my firearm and be perfectly within my rights. If you pass this ban, it would only serve to prohibit me from walking back up the hill from Rainbow Lake, a segment of trail this is considered a town park. Further, the ban would have no bearing on those individuals who carry without a permit and/or who might discharge a firearm within the town’s limits. They are already committing an illegal act under both state law and town ordinance. To cite rhetoric, if you pass this resolution, only the outlaws will have guns.

Finally, Mayor Lusk was quoted in the Times Free Press last week stating that the Signal Mountain Police Department does an excellent job of keeping our town safe. I whole-heartedly agree, but keep in mind, when you need a police officer, they’re just minutes away…minutes away when seconds could mean life or death. Further, ask just about any officer on the SMPD about this issue, and you will find that almost to a person, police officers believe that legally-permitted law abiding citizens should have the right to legally carry if they so choose. A legally armed citizenry is a deterrent to crime.

To conclude, as a Signal Mountain resident, a father, a husband, a person heavily involved in my community, and as a Tennessee handgun carry permit holder, I ask that you not further restrict my right to protect myself and my family on or off park property.

Jeffrey R. Duncan
Member, Signal Mountain Parks Board