WHAT? A bill has been introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly that would require all "handgun and assault weapon" ammunition manufactured or sold in Tennessee to be "coded" with an identification mark stamped into the base of the cartridge. By 2011, all non-coded ammunition, including that owned by private citizens, would be required to be disposed. All vendors selling ammunition would be required to register with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. All purchasers of ammunition would be required to provide their name, driver's license number and date of birth, and this information would be required to be kept on record by the vendor for a period of 3 years.

NOTABLES: The bill is sponsored by Rep. Larry J. Miller [D - Memphis] and Sen. Reginald Tate [D - Memphis]. The bill can be read in its entirety here. The number for the House bill is 324; the number of its Senate counterpart is 3395.

THE PROBLEM? The bill would place an undue hindrance on law-abiding gun owners who use "assault weaons" such as the AK-47 and AR-15 and handguns for hunting.

OUR POSITION: Rep. Miller's and Sen. Tate's legislation is an attempt to add another unnecessary gun law to the books. This legislation would represent a violation of the privacy of gunowners, and place undue burder on retailers. Such extremes does this legislation go to, in fact, that the hassle would probably not be worth it for many smaller retailers, who would opt to simply stop selling handgun or assault rifle ammunition rather than comply with the new law. Requiring private gunowners to dispose of current ammunition is a law more fitting for an European country than for Tennessee, and any law that attaches such a regulation should not be taken seriously in the General Assembly. This bill should be firmly opposed by all gun owners, including hunters.

ACTION? Find and contact your representatives in the Tennessee House and Senate by clicking here.

THE LATEST: The bills were introduced on Jan. 17, and passed first and second considerations within a week. The House bill was assigned to the Criminal Practice subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, while the Senate bill was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.