Tenn. fight for guns in bars not over

NASHVILLE, May 19 (UPI) -- Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of a bill to allow handguns in all bars and restaurants doesn't mean the issue is dead, supporters of the measure say.

No sooner had Bredesen applied his veto stamp to the legislation Tuesday than bill supporters began preparing for an override vote attempt, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

Bredesen says this year's version of the bill was worse than the one he vetoed last year.

"A successful court challenge to last year's actions provided the General Assembly with a second opportunity to reconsider and adopt a more responsible approach to this issue," Bredesen wrote. "Instead, the General Assembly has essentially re-passed last year's legislation in an even more expansive and dangerous form."

Supporters disagree, saying the measure is clearer because it allows gun permit holders to bring handguns into any establishment serving alcohol, unless owners have posted signs at the entrance explicitly banning guns.

The measure was passed on a 66-31 vote in the House and a 23-9 vote in the Senate.

Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, and Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, who pushed the bill, need only simple majorities in both chambers to override the veto.