'It is so irresponsible': Mike Bloomberg criticizes Gov. Bill Lee's proposed gun carry law during Memphis stop

Before the question was even fully asked, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said his "mind boggles" about the legislation Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed Thursday that would allow permitless carry of guns. 

"I can't answer the question. It is so irresponsible. I just don't understand how he could say that," Bloomberg said in an interview with The Commercial Appeal during a Friday campaign stop in Memphis.

"This year 40,000 people in America will either commit suicide or be murdered with handguns. Forty thousand people," Bloomberg said remarking that that number is probably more than total gun-related deaths in the western world. 

Bloomberg is well-known for his advocacy to reduce gun violence. He founded and funded Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that has worked for tighter gun control. The group has fought permitless carry laws like the one Lee is proposing. 

"How anybody thinks that everybody should be able to carry a handgun given the number of people who have criminal records, or are minors or have psychiatric problems," Bloomberg said. "He's going in the wrong direction and I think the public has got to stand up, pick up the phone to him and say 'Governor, you're not going to stay governor with that kind of position, I don't want my kids or my [life] in jeopardy.'" 

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Lee announced the constitutional carry law Thursday flanked by dozens of Republican lawmakers. In the announcement, he noted that Tennessee would join 16 other states in having what is known as a constitutional carry bill. 

When asked about how he would talk to those in Tennessee who believe their rights under the Second Amendment should not be infringed upon, Bloomberg said, "They get killed too. There is nothing wrong with having background checks." 

"The federal government currently requires background checks. ... It's nothing new here. It doesn't take away your Second Amendment rights. Most gun owners, members of the NRA, when you survey them, they think it's craziness to let people who are mentally unbalanced, or have a criminal record or are teenagers to have guns. And if you want to keep your guns, you have to stop all this carnage, or, someday, the public is going to say, 'No more.'"

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What Bloomberg said Friday jibes with what the man who introduced him to the Memphis crowd, Mayor Jim Strickland, said in response to Lee's proposal on Thursday. 

"In a time when mass shootings have skyrocketed across our country, the thought of allowing people to openly carry a gun without a permit or proper training takes us in the wrong direction," Strickland said. "... This legislation makes Memphians less safe and police officers more vulnerable." 

Amy Weirich, the local district attorney general, a Republican, and Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings also took similar stances. 

Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He welcomes tips from the public. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com.