By John Harris | Executive Director Tennessee Firearms Association
On February 23, 2024, the Tennessee Firearms Association and the Tennessee Firearms Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) joined U.S. Constitutional Rights Legal Defense Fund, Citizens United, Citizens United Foundation, The Presidential Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California, and the Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund to submit an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in which one of the core issues is whether states, as sovereign entities, have the power to protect its borders and resist invasions. Joe Biden’s administration has done everything possible with the power and might of the federal government to prohibit Texas from defending itself, its citizens and its economy.
In 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott took action in response to the unending invasion of illegal immigrants who were crossing Texas’s border with Mexico by launching multiple defensive strategies termed “Operation Lone Star.” Governor Abbott invoked the Invasion Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which states in pertinent part: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress … engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.” See, U. S. Constitution, Art. I, Sec. 10, cl.3.
Governor Abbott implemented plans to install floating barriers at certain crossings in the Rio Grande river to discourage illegal border crossings, the first of which was at Eagle Pass. In response to every attempt to stem the invasion, the Biden Administration has sought to prevent Texas from taking action. On July 24, 2023, the Biden Administration sued Governor Abbott and the State of Texas, seeking a preliminary injunction to remove the existing floating barrier and prevent others from being installed. The federal district court, on September 6, 2023, ordered that the floating barrier be moved to the Texas shore on the theory that the barrier interfered with the federal government’s regulation of navigable waters under the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899. See United States v. Abbott, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157172 (W.D. Tex. 2023).
Joining and supporting TFA is an investment in the fight to restore our constitutional rights and to fight against politicians who are willing to sell their votes and your rights to whichever business interest gives them the most money!