From The Lebanon Democrat
NASHVILLE – The state House passed a bill sponsored by state Rep. Clark Boyd last week designed to streamlines current law and protects the rights of concealed carry permit holders
House Bill 545 seeks to give protection for concealed handgun carry permit holders who unknowingly enter a private facility or business with posted firearm policies so long as the person was unaware the property was posted and leaves immediately once they are told.
Under current law, it is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine to have a firearm on a property properly posted. The overall goal of House Bill 545 is to ensure citizens are not unreasonably punished if the person unknowingly enters a posted business and is willing to leave immediately.
“In the event that a law-abiding permit holder unknowingly enters a business or property that is posted and discovers this after the fact, it only makes sense that the person be allowed to leave the premises rather than being issued a citation,” said Boyd, R-Lebanon. “An honest mistake can happen, and it’s important that we protect our concealed carry permit holders in this instance. I am proud this legislation passed the House with strong support, and I urge my Senate colleagues to support this important legislation.”
Boyd serves as chair of the House Consumer and Human Resources Committee and as a member of the Calendar and Rules, Commerce and Select Committees on Rules. Boyd is also a member of the House Employee Affairs and House Utilities subcommittees. He represents House District 46, which includes Cannon and parts of Wilson and DeKalb counties.
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