A legal battle over six duck hunters in Sweetwater could determine whether Tennessee cities have the power to effectively ban hunting within their limits.
The case began when six men were cited for discharging firearms while duck hunting on a private 17-acre property inside Sweetwater city limits. Despite the hunters performing due diligence with local law enforcement and the TWRA, a municipal judge found them guilty based on a city ordinance.
The defense argues that this ruling ignores the Tennessee Constitution and state laws that preempt local governments from regulating the discharge of firearms for hunting.If this conviction is upheld on appeal, legal experts warn it could create a “patchwork” of regulations across the state. This would allow individual cities to circumvent the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency by banning the tools of hunting, like shotguns or even bows.
In response, state legislators have introduced SB 2028 to clarify that local governments cannot regulate the “manner and means of taking wildlife.” Senator Adam Lowe stated, “This bill simply seeks to clarify that delegated authority to ensure that Tennessee does not have a patchwork of wildlife regulations.”
The outcome of this appeal is critical because many of Tennessee’s most impressive bucks are taken on private land within municipal boundaries like Nashville or Hendersonville. While the new bill won’t change the current case, it aims to protect future hunters from similar legal hurdles.
As the case moves to the East Tennessee Court of Appeals, sportsmen across the state are watching closely to see if their right to hunt remains protected.
