MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – The mass shooting at a city park in Orange Mound highlighted a problem in Memphis: a lot of people don’t understand what is and is not allowed under Tennessee’s open carry law.

In shocking video after shocking video, young people could be seen walking down the street to a community block party while brandishing giant guns.

”I’ve been in this business for over 40 years. I get anxiety and my law enforcement friends are getting anxiety,” said Bennie Cobb, retired SWAT Team captain with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and owner of Eagle Eye Security and Training Services.

Cobb told Action News 5 that the trend of teens arming themselves to the teeth in public is a troubling one.

“Some of these young people could say they’re exercising their 2A,” he said, “but the gun is most likely stolen if they’re under 18.”

When Governor Bill Lee signed open carry into law, he posted to X: “It shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their 2A rights,” with 2A referring to the Second Amendment, which grants Americans the right to bear arms.

In effect since July 1, 2021, Tennessee’s open carry law allows an individual to carry a loaded handgun without a permit. You must be 18 or older, in lawful possession of the gun, and in a place where guns are legally allowed.

Supporters of open carry say the law appeared to be violated in the Orange Mound mass shooting.

”I saw pictures of the guns they were holding,” said Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, “They were not handguns. So, you must be very clear about what we do allow for open carry. It’s a handgun. It’s not an AK-47. It’s not a shotgun. It’s not a long rifle. It’s a handgun. The guns they had at that rally were not open-carry guns.”

Remember the incident where a young man walked through Midtown Memphis with an assault-style rifle last year?

He scared so many people that nearby schools went on lockdown and citizens called the Memphis Police Department to report him. MPD eventually tracked him down at home, and no charges were filed in the case. He admitted to overreacting to a perceived threat to his safety.

Though open carry explicitly covers handguns, other laws already on the books state you can carry a shotgun or rifle, but it must be unloaded and the ammunition cannot be in close proximity to you or your weapon.

The videos are proof, said Cobb. The Wild Wild West has officially arrived in the Mid-South.

“Now the mindset is,” he said, “you approach them with the mindset as if they are armed. Law enforcement is actually doing things differently now. They actually had to be retrained to accept people with guns. Everybody has one.”

Tennessee Republicans tried to pass legislation this session that would change the word “handgun” to “firearm” in the open carry law to allow armed long guns on the street.

But the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security testified that it would cause unnecessary panic, and the effort failed.

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Former Tennessee basketball forward Jonas Aidoo is transferring to Arkansas, according to a report Monday from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Aidoo entered the portal on April 11 and entered the NBA Draft. He kept his college eligibility while going through the draft process.

Aidoo had an All-SEC season as a junior. The 6-foot-11 Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He had six double-doubles in conference games. He blocked 66 shots, which ranked third in the SEC.

The 2024-25 SEC schedule hasn’t been released but Arkansas and Tennessee are likely to meet each other although it’s not certain with two new teams entering the league.

Rick Barnes was surprised by Jonas Aidoo transferring

Vols coach Rick Barnes works to avoid being surprised by transfer portal decisions. Aidoo’s came as a surprise for the Vols based on the messaging they had received from Aidoo following the season.

“Yeah because he had told everybody he was fine,” Barnes said.

Aidoo was one of four Vols to enter the transfer portal following the season. Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V was the first, while fellow redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson followed suit. Forward Tobe Awaka was the third and Aidoo was the fourth.

Jonas Aidoo was an All-SEC player with Tennessee basketball

Aidoo averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game in his three seasons at Tennessee.

TRANSFER: Darlinstone Dubar commits to Tennessee basketball as Hofstra transfer

The Durham, North Carolina, native jumped into the starting lineup as a junior. He spent his first two years as a role player behind veterans including Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic. He played 18.3 minutes per game as a sophomore and showed his defensive prowess in that season.

Aidoo’s freshman season got off to a slow start as he battled an illness preseason. He stepped into the playing group after Nkamhoua suffered a season-ending injury in February 2022. He played 7.8 minutes per game in 19 games as a freshman.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

Communities in Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma are dealing with the aftermath of tornadoes that carved a destructive and deadly path through them this weekend. It is not an unfamiliar site or tale for many families in Tennessee.

With the right atmospheric conditions any place can experience a tornado, but the Midwest is often where people think of when they think of these destructive weather phenomenon. To the point it is often referenced as “tornado alley.”

But meteorologist have noticed a shift toward the Southeast as the frequency of tornadoes increase in Southern states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama over the years.

Here’s a look at where tornado alley is and why some believe is is shifting.

Tornado watch vs. tornado warning: What to know in Tennessee as severe weather hits

Where is tornado alley? Is Tennessee part of it?

Tornado alley has changed and shifted over the years, but as of 2023 Accuweather lists eight states as being part of this area with a unique combination of geographic and meteorological factors that make it more susceptible to tornadoes.

Only three whole states are part of tornado alley: Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, eastern Colorado and the northern part of Texas are considered part of the alley.

‘Tornado Alley’ is expanding: Southern states see more twisters now than ever before

Tennessee is not considered part of tornado alley, but the state has had its fair share of tornadoes over the years.

Comparing annual data from 1980 to 1999 with 2000 to 2019, 20 U.S. states saw an increase in tornado activity, including Tennessee. Scientists can’t pinpoint precisely how much may be due to an increase in reporting due to improved technology.

Is tornado alley shifting?

Commonly there are more tornadoes in tornado alley, but Southern states are baring the brunt of more destructive outbreaks.

Tornadoes in the South tend to be deadlier than those in the Plains because of several factors such as longer, larger tornado paths, expanding population, more mobile homes and more nighttime tornadoes, according to information compiled from the National Weather Service and other weather services.

The Southern states that bare the brunt of this shift are parts of eastern Texas and Arkansas into Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and includes upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. This area has been referred to as “Dixie Alley” since the 1970s, but weather service institutions — like the Weather Channel — have refrained from using the name in recent years.

When is tornado season in Tennessee?

Tennessee usually sees the highest number of tornadoes during the month of April, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But tornado season runs from March to May in Tennessee.

Tornado risk for Tennessee

One of the biggest factors affecting the weather in the Southern part of the U.S. is the Gulf of Mexico. According to AccuWeather, the water in the gulf may heat up quickly during the middle and latter part of the spring, which could cause troublesome weather in May.