Gun owner Stephen Vaughn says his firearms aren't just for protection.
"I like the science and engineering behind them are fascinating, I like the way they work, I like to take them apart. I'm also a reloader, I like to load them and really it's a hobby for me, and I really enjoy target practice," Vaughn said.
Talks in congress of putting bans on certain firearms has many Tennesseans like Vaughn worried.
That is one reason state senator Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet and Sheila Butt of Columbia introduced a bill that would basically let Tennessee get around federal gun laws.
Vaughn said, "I believe that the constitution is more than just about deer season. I think it's basically protects us from a tyrannical government much like it did when our founding fathers were here."
If passed, the bill would protect Tennessee from federal laws that ban, track, or tax guns and ammunition.
Miller and Martin Attorney Zac Greene says the bill has a lot of problems.
"A state can not just say we're not gonna abide by the constitution. We're not gonna abide by the federal court decision on the constitution which is what this bill seeks to do," Greene said.
It also seeks to punish anyone that tries to enforce federal gun laws on a Tennessean with a class B felony.
Greene said, "A state doesn't have the power to go out and punish a federal officer who's attempting to punish federal laws. A federal officer doing that is acting within his power."
The bill was assigned to the civil justice committee Monday and a vote has not been set yet.
