SCI and Tennessee Wildlife Federation Urge Tennessee Court to Protect State-Authorized Hunting and Wildlife Management

Today, Safari Club International (SCI) and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) filed an amicus curiae brief urging the Tennessee Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court decision that upheld the City of Sweetwater’s ordinance prohibiting the discharge of firearms within city limits as applied to lawful duck hunting on private property.

The case centers on the prosecution of six hunters engaged in lawful duck hunting on private property. SCI and TWF argue that Sweetwater’s ordinance unlawfully prohibits this hunting, an activity expressly authorized by state wildlife regulations. Enforcement of the ordinance against these hunters also threatens Tennessee’s longstanding framework for wildlife conservation and management.

“Wildlife management decisions belong with the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency—not individual municipalities,” said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin. “Cities cannot ban lawful hunting through local firearms ordinances. This would undermine the State’s wildlife management efforts and the constitutional rights of Tennessee’s hunters.”

“Tennessee Wildlife Federation supports the hunters’ decision to appeal. The General Assembly has now made clear that the regulation of lawful hunting, including the manner and means of taking wildlife, rests with the state and the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission rather than a patchwork of local ordinances. We remain confident that this long-standing principle will ultimately be upheld while existing laws continue to address reckless or unsafe conduct,” said Michael A. Butler, CEO of TWF.

In their brief, SCI and TWF argue that:

• Tennessee law expressly authorizes lawful hunting, including the use of firearms during established hunting seasons.
• Local ordinances that prohibit lawful hunting activities interfere with state conservation objectives and wildlife-management programs and are preempted by Tennessee state law.
• The ordinance conflicts with constitutional protections for both the right to hunt and the right to keep and bear arms.

The brief further highlights the important role hunting plays in Tennessee’s conservation success. Hunting serves as a primary wildlife management tool and provides critical conservation funding through license sales and federal Pittman-Robertson taxes. Any reduction in lawful hunting opportunities risks undermining both wildlife management objectives and conservation funding across the state.

The organizations warn that if the lower court’s ruling stands, municipalities across Tennessee could effectively nullify state-authorized hunting activities simply by enacting discharge ordinances.

About Safari Club International

Safari Club International is a leader in promoting hunting rights and sustainable-use wildlife conservation across the country and around the world through education, advocacy, and legal action. SCI represents approximately 100,000 members and advocates worldwide. To learn more, visit www.safariclub.org.

About Tennessee Wildlife Federation

Tennessee Wildlife Federation leads the conservation, sound management and wise use of Tennessee’s great outdoors. Since 1946, TWF has spearheaded the development of the state’s wildlife policy, advanced landmark legislation on air and water quality and other conservation initiatives, helped restore numerous species, and introduced thousands of kids to the great outdoors. To learn more, visit tnwf.org.