NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Leaders in the Tennessee Statehouse are hoping for what they call a reasonable solution to a legislative fight over a bill seeking to guarantee employees the ability to store firearms in cars parked at work.
But not everyone is convinced that cooler heads will prevail over the issue that has Republicans torn between their loyalties to gun rights advocates and the business community.
The failure of the most recent proposal led to angry recriminations between largely pro-gun GOP leaders and the National Rifle Association, which bankrolled the primary defeat a top House leader in the August.
The Republican speakers of the House and Senate call the issue a distraction from other key priorities concerning jobs, the economy and overhauling workers' compensation laws.
The legislative session starts in January.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
