Gun permit suspended after YouTube video

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NASHVILLE, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Tennessee has suspended the handgun carry permit of a firearms trainer who said he'd "be glad to fire the first shot" in a civil war over gun control.

James Yeager, chief executive officer of Tactical Response in Camden, Tenn., said in a video posted Wednesday, "Vice President Biden is asking the president to bypass Congress and use executive privilege -- executive order -- to ban assault rifles ... to impose stricter gun control.

"I'm telling you that if that happens it's going to spark a civil war and I'll be glad to fire the first shot," he said. "I'm not putting up with it. You shouldn't put up with it. And I need all you patriots to start thinking about what you're going to do. Load your dam mags, make sure your rifle is clean, pack a backpack with some food in it and get ready to fight."

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said Friday it has suspended Yeager's handgun carry permit based on "material likelihood of risk of harm to the public," WTVF-TV, Nashville, reported.

"The number one priority for our department is to ensure the public's safety," Tennessee Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. "Mr. Yeager's comments were irresponsible, dangerous, and deserved our immediate attention."

The department said Yeager is not a Department of Safety and Homeland Security certified instructor, and Tactical Response also is not certified, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

Yeager, 42, can ask a court to review the department's decision to suspend his permit, the report said.