COMMENTARY: Tennessee has made significant progress in the last two decades to reduce overall crime statewide and protect those in our communities.
Just last year, there were 32 percent fewer offenses when compared to 2003. Our streets are safer because of the outstanding work of law enforcement and the smart-on-crime policies Republicans have passed in recent years to ensure offenders are held fully accountable for their actions.
And while we continue to work to make our state safer for everyone, there continues to be a disturbing trend involving criminals breaking into vehicles looking for firearms, not money or other valuable items. Stolen guns and automobiles are then routinely used to commit other criminal activity like carjackings and robberies.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, there were 8,911 total firearms reported stolen across the statewide last year. The majority of those were taken from vehicles. Even though this is the fewest overall number since 2019, it is essential that law-abiding gun owners ensure their firearms are properly secured when left unattended.
I [State Rep. Mike Sparks] sought to address this issue in 2021 by introducing legislation that made the safe storage of firearms less expensive for gun owners. With the bipartisan support of my colleagues in the General Assembly, we temporarily removed the state’s 7 percent retail sales tax from all gun safes and gun locking devices sold in Tennessee… I was delighted to have the full support of my colleagues when we made this tax cut permanent last year…
The decision to pursue this legislation came after I attended the memorial service for Kyle Yorlets, a 24-year-old musician who was fatally shot outside his home in Nashville by a group of juveniles with stolen guns. While I did not know Kyle personally, I was heartbroken by his death and all of the lives that were forever changed as a result of this senseless tragedy.
Unfortunately, stolen guns continue to be an issue in our state. The Metro Nashville Police Department last month reported 844 firearms have been stolen so far in 2024 in Davidson County. The majority of those – 71 percent – were taken from automobiles.
As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, I believe gun owners must know how to handle, use and store their firearms safely.
In addition to removing the sales tax on gun safes, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security offers free cable locks through its Safe Store Tennessee program. These devices can secure most shotguns, rifles, pistols and revolvers, and are available upon request at Driver Services Centers and Tennessee Highway Patrol district headquarters statewide.
It is the responsibility of law-abiding gun owners to safely store their firearms to ensure they do not fall into the hands of those who should not have access to them like criminals and children. This will keep our communities and our state safer for us all.
Op-Ed by State Rep. Mike Sparks, who represents House District 49, which includes portions of Smyrna, La Vergne and Murfreesboro in Rutherford County.
