Push On For Tougher Firearms Law
A coalition of Tennessee prosecutors and police is trying to get the state legislature to pass a law that would stiffen penalties for some felons caught with guns.
The Tennessean reports that there’s been an increase in crimes involving felons with firearms, and the Tennessee Public Safety Coalition is responding by lobbying for more time in state prison.
Members of the group say the change in law is necessary because felons caught with guns can serve as little as three or four months behind bars before being paroled if they’re prosecuted at the state level. Those who get prosecuted in federal court often wind up serving years in federal prison, but federal prosecutors say they can only handle a fraction of the cases because of limited resources.
