Wine And Gun Laws On July 1

  • Thursday, June 30, 2016

Yay! We can buy wine at Wal-Mart! That's a huge step forward in the Tennessee vice world and we are all looking forward to 8 a.m. tomorrow when we don't have to go to a store where we might be seen by someone with whom we will share a pew on Sunday. Now you can buy your bubbly with your groceries, which truly makes July 1 like the New Years of the summer. Like it's January's counterpart, it always carries a lot of changes, but unless it's something like the wine in grocery stores, we often don't hear much about it. 

Let's take a look at another very interesting law that goes into effect with the Wine in Grocery Stores Law. TN Senate Bill 1736 also starts tomorrow. Today (June 30), a business can lawfully restrict the legal possession of a gun on their property without assuming any liability. Many places do this, Clydes, Big River, Hamilton Place Mall, etc. Tomorrow, SB1736 puts responsibility on the property owner to protect those who are voluntarily denied the ability to protect themselves. There are some areas that are immune to this responsibility by other, existing laws restricting firearms, like schools, daycares, federal buildings, etc. This only applies to places that voluntarily restrict the possession of firearms on their property.  

Seems like this bill will make all parties happy because it will help harden the "soft targets" with qualified and professional security, ensuring a truly "safe zone" or it will eliminate "soft targets" that were otherwise destinations for an opportunistic lunatic. Win/win? 

This does makes me wonder how their liability insurance will change if a business voluntary expose themselves to being liable for the public's safety and/or providing armed security. Will we see Walden Security rolling around on Segways armed with more than a radio and cell phone? Or will we see the sticker on the door slowly slip away without much press? 

Tim Giordano

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