69制片厂制作传媒播

Friday morning, Sexton was in Memphis, standing with several top local leaders.

FOX13 asked if this legislation is targeting Memphis in particular.

"It's not targeting any one person. We've had issues all across the state with various city council and county commissions," Sexton said.

City council has tried at least twice to pass laws that would violate state laws. In 2023, following the death of Tyre Nichols, council tried to put limits on Memphis Police using pretextual traffic stops.

Last year, state lawmakers overturned those ordinances.

This latest bill says the Tennessee Attorney General will investigate cities or counties believed to have violated state law. It says if a violation is found, that jurisdiction has 30 days to correct it.

"If they don't fix it within 30 days, then state funds could be withheld. So there's an opportunity for them to fix it, but there's also an opportunity to say, 'Let's make sure it is a violation and not just arbitrarily think it was or was not,'" said Sexton.

He told FOX13 it's to make sure everyone across the state follows the same rules: "We're elected like they're elected, but we have oversight, so we just want to make sure that we all know what the ground rules are. The federal government does it to the states all the time."

Sexton was a regular critic of Biden administration mandates, especially during COVID, and once said the state should sue the federal government if an election reform bill passed.听

FOX13 had the opportunity to ask Memphis Mayor Paul Young about the proposed legislation. "Our goal in the city of Memphis is to make sure we're in compliance with state law, and we continue to do the things that are going to support the people in our city," the mayor said.

Young said he's also not concerned about the consequences.听

"I think we'll continue to get the revenues due to us, and we'll continue to operate our city in compliance with state law," he said.

Despite overwhelming voter support, the Memphis gun referenda could only go into effect if state gun laws changed.

Still, the organization Gun Owners of America has filed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis for passing the referenda last fall.