Tennessee may be the only state in the union with a military gun as its state rifle. Only five other states have a state rife. This should be repealed.
Rep. Micah Van Huis R-Jonesbrough and an ex-Marine, carried this weapon in Iraq and sponsored the legislation. The designation was approved by the state House in 2015.
The rifle is produced in Murfreesboro. It uses 50 caliber bullets designed for browsing M2 machine guns. Its feed system has a box magazine with a muzzle velocity of 2,799 feet per second with a rotating bolt.
We think it inappropriate for our state to call this weapon of war our state rifle. While we applaud his service to our country; the killing of innocents in schools across America demand the removal of this weapon – it being in the interest of public safety.
Paul E. Smith