Ron Lollar, Candidate for TN House District 99

Ron Lollar, currently serving on the Shelby County School Board, is running for the seat being vacated by Bubba Pleasant. Following are my notes from Ron Lollar's comments made to the Shelby County chapter of the Tennessee Firearms Association.

He was raised in west Tennessee and grew up hunting. When he graduated high school he joined the Marines and served in Viet Nam.

He said that he is worried about our children growing up to have the same rights that we have, such as the right to keep and bear arms, because of the efforts to erode these rights. He spoke about being shocked that a governor had the power to confiscate guns and ammunition during a natural disaster, as seen during Hurricane Katrina.

He told a story about a Democrat friend of his that promised him a campaign donation, and then asked Ron to support the legislation that Bubba Pleasant sponsored limiting the hours of operation of the Memphis Sports Shooting Association (MSSA). Ron told him that he would not support that legislation. It cost him the donation, but Ron feels strongly that it would be wrong to do otherwise.

On the subject of the restaurant carry bill, he said it does not make sense to have a gun unprotected in a car just because you are having dinner. You are unprotected and your gun is unprotected. It makes sense that if you have the weapon on you then it is safer than sitting in a car in the parking lot.

Ron spoke quite passionately on the subject of eminent domain. He said that he is opposed to taking private property unless you can prove major need and all other avenues have been exhausted. He told a story about needing to build an elementary school: not only did the families need a place to send their children, but it was mandated by law that a school should be built to support the community. One homeowner stood in the way and after seven months of trying to find a solution, the school board resorted to using their power of eminent domain. However, he believes that eminent domain should only be used to obtain property for the government; land taken from property owners should never be turned over to a private developer.

He said that he is opposed to income tax.

Talked about federal interference in local affairs, and noted that the Shelby County school budget is about 6% federally funded, but the spending of $275 million is about 60% federally mandated.

He said that he would not vote the party line, just because the party wants him to. Although he is a strong Republican, and he will probably vote with the party 90% of the time, the Party will not dictate the way he votes. He is here to represent the people, not the party.

There was much discussion about legislation that would allow permit holders to keep guns in their car when parking at their job, even though the employer forbids weapons on their property. He said that he has a problem telling a business owner what he can do.

Personal Observations: Ron Lollar is a friend to gun owners and has proven his commitment to supporting youth shooting programs. He believes in the Second Amendment up to a point, but worries that expanding our rights too far could undo some of the gains that we have made lately. He is, frankly, far too moderate on this topic.

Ron has been an excellent member of the Shelby County School Board, where he has learned about budgets, federal mandates, partisan politics and personal agendas. He should be well prepared to work in Nashville.

As my top two issues are education and gun rights, I believe Ron Lollar is a definite step up from incumbent Bubba Pleasant. Ron is sincere, honest (perhaps too honest) and passionate in his beliefs.

There is a large field of candidates for this position, but Ron Lollar is the best I've heard yet. He is, at this point, the AlphaPatriot Pick for TN House District 99.

Technorati Tags: Ron Lollar, Tennessee Politics, Gun Rights, Second Amendment.

 

Posted on Thursday at 11:16 PM in category Lollar, Ron
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