NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation preempting local municipalities from enforcing extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), commonly known as red flag laws, which allow judges and police to temporarily take away someone’s guns if they’re at risk of harming themselves or others, despite his push for extreme risk protection orders before the Special Session in 2023.
The legislation, which became law with Gov. Lee’s signature on May 28, “preempts the entire field of legislation regarding extreme risk protection orders,” according to its language, “except as otherwise provided by state law.”
However, a year prior, Gov. Lee advocated for ERPOs before the 2023 Special Session on Public Safety.

According to a 2023 Vanderbilt poll, 72% of registered voters in Tennessee surveyed support some form of a red flag law to prevent general gun violence. The Vanderbilt poll said that support increased to 75% when a question associated the law with preventing school shootings.