On Wednesday, Tennessee became the seventh state to adopt an official state firearm. After passing the House 74-9 last year, the state Senate voted Wednesday to make the Barrett Model M82/M107 the official state rifle.
The rifle was developed by Tennessee native Ronnie Barrett, and is now manufactured in Christiana, Tenn. Since being adopted by the military in the 1980s, the M82/M107 has seen considerable action in the United States’ conflicts in the Middle East. In fact, the bill’s author, Rep. Micah Van Huss, is a former Marine sniper who used the gun during his deployment. The firearm’s origin and role in defending our freedom abroad led to the proposal passing the Senate 27-1.
“I love Goo Goo Clusters, I love Little Debbie cakes, and everything else—even Jack Daniel’s whiskey—that has come from Tennessee,” Sen. Bill Ketron said. “However, none of them have saved lives like this rifle has on the battle lines.”
