Three things for April 9
1. Prince Philip dies at 99
Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died on Friday, April 9. He was 99.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the royal family said in a statement. “The Royal Family joins with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
The Duke was married to the Queen for 73 years, and he made history by being both the longest-serving consort of a monarch in British history and the first male consort since the 1800s when Queen Victoria ruled, according to NPR.
2. No Hate Act proposed in Congress
On Thursday, after a steady rise of hate crimes within the last year, members of Congress have introduced the No Hate Act, a bill that seeks to help prevent future hate crimes by improving current systems in place.
If passed, the bill would put measures in place making it easier to report and investigate hate crimes, such as training law enforcement, making the national reporting systems more efficient, and creating a hate crime hotline. Additionally, the bill seeks to provide resources and services to victims of hate crimes.
The members of Congress leading the bill are Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Jerry Morgan, Representatives Don Beyer, Fred Upton, Judy Chu and Vern Buchanan, according to NBC News.
3. Permitless carry law passed in Tennessee
On Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law allowing people over the age of 21 to carry a handgun, both openly or concealed, without a permit. Military members ages 18-20 will also be able to carry without a permit.
The bill takes away a previous misdemeanor charge that came with carrying without a permit, but other gun-related crimes have now been increased in severity. Now, stealing a firearm will go from the status of a misdemeanor to a felony, and those incarcerated for stealing a firearm will not be eligible for early release.
Accordingly, people with convictions of stalking, domestic violence, recent DUIs and those that have been committed to a mental institution by a court will not be eligible to carry without a permit, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
The new law will go into effect on July 1.
