Embody v. Ward, No. 11-5963 (6th Cir. 2012)
Annotate this CaseTennessee law allows individuals with gun permits to carry handguns in public places owned or operated by the state (Tenn. Code 39-17-1311(b)(1)(H)) and defines a “handgun” as “any firearm with a barrel length of less than twelve inches” designed or adapted to be fired with one hand. Armed with a Draco AK-47 pistol, Embody went to Radnor Lake State Natural Area, near Nashville, on a Sunday afternoon. Dressed in camouflage, he slung the gun with its eleven-and-a-half-inch barrel across his chest with an attached loaded, 30-round clip. Embody anticipated attention and carried an audio-recording device. With assistance from police, a park ranger disarmed Embody at gunpoint to determine whether the AK-47 qualified under the law, releasing him about two-and-one-half hours later, after determining it was. Embody sued, claiming violations of Second, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The district court granted defendant summary judgment. The Sixth Circuit affirmed. The scope of the investigation was reasonably related to the circumstances that justified the stop. To the extent Embody argues that the Second Amendment prevents Tennessee from prohibiting certain firearms in state parks, qualified immunity applies. No court has held that the Second Amendment encompasses a right to bear arms within state parks.
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