In a July 2026 Substack post titled "Instruct your Representatives Tennessee," C. Richard Archie—a West Tennessee Director and Board Member of the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA)—issues a forceful call to action for Tennessee citizens to exercise their constitutional authority over state lawmakers. Published in his newsletter *The Truth of the 2nd Amendment in TN*, the article draws directly from Article I, Section 23 of the Tennessee Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right "to assemble together for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances."
Archie’s central argument is that the Tennessee Legislature has failed in its moral duty to protect citizens' fundamental civil rights. He writes scathingly that the collective legislature "has no moral" fortitude and has persistently denied the people their "core, fundamental civil rights." By invoking the constitutional language of "instructing" representatives, Archie frames civic engagement not merely as a civic suggestion but as a constitutional imperative—a direct command from the state's founding document that citizens must hold their elected officials accountable.
The article fits squarely within Archie’s broader body of work advocating for Second Amendment rights and constitutional governance. A frequent commentator on Tennessee gun laws, Archie has previously argued that the state constitution places clear limits on government interference with the right to bear arms. In this piece, he appears to channel frustration with legislative inaction or outright opposition to measures he believes would restore or protect these rights. His tone suggests exasperation with representatives who, in his view, have grown disconnected from the constitutional principles they swore to uphold.
Notably, Archie’s invocation of the Tennessee Constitution’s Declaration of Rights—particularly the language about citizens assembling to "instruct their representatives"—positions his argument within a tradition of popular constitutionalism. By citing the state constitution rather than federal law, he emphasizes that Tennesseans possess inherent, state-level mechanisms for holding power accountable. This reflects a recurring theme in his advocacy: that the Tennessee Constitution is not merely a subordinate document to the U.S. Constitution but an independent source of rights and restrictions on government power.
The article also echoes themes from another of Archie’s posts, "Don't be a slave, be a citizen!" in which he referenced post-Civil War constitutional history to argue that Tennesseans must actively claim their rights rather than passively accept government overreach. In "Instruct your Representatives," he extends this logic, implying that citizens who fail to demand accountability from their representatives effectively surrender their constitutional authority.
Archie is urging readers to go beyond passive discontent. He wants Tennesseans to directly communicate with lawmakers—through address, remonstrance, or assembly—to demand protection of what he considers non-negotiable civil liberties. His message is uncompromising: the legislature will not reform itself, and citizens must use their constitutional tools to force compliance with the state's founding principles.
In the broader political context, Archie’s article reflects growing tension between grassroots gun-rights organizations and the Tennessee General Assembly, which has at times resisted full constitutional carry expansion and other firearms deregulation measures favored by groups like the TFA. Archie’s piece serves as both a rallying cry for activists and a warning to legislators: ignore the people's constitutional instructions at your political peril.
you can find him at https://tennesseefirearms.com/
