Knox County’s gun fight is suddenly about your wallet.
Commissioner Andy Fox introduced an ordinance on Wednesday that would require the county to use taxpayer money to cover attorneys' fees for anyone who successfully sues over a firearms ban in a county-owned building. The county commission was scheduled to consider the measure at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the main assembly room of the City-County Building.
Fox said he was pushed into action by a weapons ban at the East Tennessee Historical Society’s museum inside the county-owned East Tennessee History Center. He argued the ordinance is about making sure handgun permit holders do not lose their rights in spaces the county controls.
The draft measure would direct the county to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys' fees if a court finds a weapons ban unlawful, and it would require third-party lessees to pay $500 a day for noncompliance. Those specifics were reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Not everyone in the county is sold on the idea.
Senior deputy law director Mike Moyers told the Knoxville News Sentinel he doubts the county has authority to regulate firearms at all, and warned that "your attorneys' fees will have to be paid by the government or third party" if people have to go to court to enforce their rights. His comments highlight the legal gray zone that county officials say they want to study before making any policy change. Commissioners said they planned to hear public comment and debate before any vote.
What the measure would do
The ordinance would shift the cost of successful Second Amendment lawsuits onto the county budget and, in some cases, onto private lessees who rent county property. Supporters of Fox’s plan say that kind of price tag would deter county buildings from posting blanket firearms bans that could be vulnerable in court.
Under Tennessee’s handgun-permit rules, an enhanced permit typically involves an eight-hour safety course and a $100 application fee, while the regular concealed-handgun permit carries a $65 fee and shorter training requirements, details that come from the Tennessee Department of Safety. Fox’s proposal would not change those state rules, but it would make the county pay up when a local weapons ban is struck down.
Legal context and questions
Tennessee law tightly limits what local governments can do on firearms and, in some situations, requires security measures when governments choose to keep permit holders out of a building. That setup has made it tricky for cities and counties to restrict guns in public spaces without landing in court.
The national Giffords Law Center notes that state preemption and security requirements are key pieces of these fights, and judges have increasingly scrutinized location-based gun restrictions. If courts find county policies unlawful, legal experts say Knox County could be on the hook for damages, attorneys' fees, and other costs, even without Fox’s ordinance.
What's next
The commission’s debate puts two hot-button issues on the same table: local control over guns and how much risk taxpayers should shoulder when the county gets sued.
County staff was expected to brief commissioners on legal risks and potential costs before any final vote. The proposal is likely to draw sharp public comment from both gun-rights advocates and opponents, and the hearing will be watched closely by local legal and civic groups as Knox County decides whether to lock in this change or walk away from it.
