This post was published by Jon Fleetwood. Support him by subscribing at Substack and following at Instagram / X / Facebook.
A new bill introduced last month in the Tennessee General Assembly would classify mRNA injections and products as weapons of mass destruction, criminalize their manufacture, possession, or distribution, and impose felony penalties not only on private actors but also on state and local officials who fail to enforce the law.
If enacted, the law would take effect July 1, 2026.
The legislation, Senate Bill 1949, is formally titled the “mRNA Bioweapons Prohibition Act” and amends multiple sections of Tennessee Code Annotated, including Titles 8, 14, 39, 40, 53, 63, and 68, to integrate mRNA products directly into the state’s criminal and enforcement framework.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Janice Bowling and has already passed first and second consideration in the Senate, where it has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Tennessee joins Arizona and Minnesota in efforts to designate mRNA shots, like the COVID-19 vaccine, as bioweapons.
mRNA Explicitly Designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction
Unlike regulatory or health-policy legislation, SB 1949 places mRNA products squarely inside Tennessee’s criminal code governing weapons of mass destruction.
COVID-19 mRNA shots alone have been linked to 38,983 deaths, according to VAERS data—a figure federally-funded Harvard Pilgrim researchers confirm represents as little as 1% of actual adverse events reported to the system, meaning the true number could be closer to four million.
The bill declares legislative intent in unambiguous terms:
“It is the intent of the general assembly to designate mRNA injections and products as weapons of mass destruction and to prohibit possession or distribution of mRNA injections and products in this state.”
This designation collapses the distinction between public health policy and criminal law by treating mRNA platforms not as medical interventions, but as prohibited weapons under state statute.
Broad Definition Covers COVID-19 Shots, Gene Therapy, & Nanotechnology
SB 1949 defines “mRNA injections and products” expansively, explicitly naming COVID-19 shots and next-generation gene technologies.
With respect to COVID-19 injections, the bill defines prohibited mRNA as:
“mRNA or modified messenger RNA as related to gene altering agents, with a structure altered by substituting two N-methyl-pseudouridine amino acids for the usual uridine components so as to elude immune destruction of the mRNA, allowing the mRNA that produces the pathogenic spike protein to exist within cells for a longer period of time.”
The prohibition also applies to:
“Any human gene therapy product for any infectious disease indication, regardless of whether the administration is described as an immunization, vaccine, or otherwise.”
And extends further to include:
“Nanotechnology or nanoparticles that alter genes and create a biosynthetic cell replication.”
The only exclusion carved out by the bill is for:
“Naturally occurring messenger ribonucleic acid that is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene.”
Total Prohibition on Manufacture, Possession, or Distribution
The bill establishes a new criminal offense making it unlawful to handle mRNA products in any capacity.
It states:
“It is an offense for a person to knowingly manufacture, acquire, possess, or make accessible to another mRNA injections and products.”
No exemptions are provided for:
- FDA approval
- Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs)
- Medical practice
- Research
- Public health programs
Mandatory Enforcement—Officials Face Criminal Exposure
SB 1949 removes prosecutorial discretion by imposing affirmative enforcement duties on government officials.
The bill makes it a crime:
“For a state or local government official to fail or refuse to use all lawful means necessary to investigate or enforce a violation… after being provided with reasonable evidence of a violation.”
The statute defines “state or local government official” to include:
“The governor, attorney general and reporter, district attorneys general, county sheriffs, and state and local law enforcement officers.”
Felony Penalties Tied to Weapons of Mass Destruction Statute
Violations of either the possession ban or the enforcement mandate are punished under Tennessee’s existing weapons of mass destruction law.
The bill provides:
“A violation of subdivision (c)(1) or (c)(2) is punishable as a violation of § 39-13-806.”
That statute governs criminal penalties for weapons of mass destruction, placing mRNA products in the same legal category as other prohibited WMDs under Tennessee law.
Citizens Granted Standing to Sue the State
Like similar legislation introduced in other states, SB 1949 grants private citizens the ability to sue for non-enforcement.
The bill states:
“A resident of this state may seek injunctive relief, declaratory relief, and economic, non-economic, and punitive damages from the state or a state and local government official for lack of enforcement of this section.”
This provision creates civil exposure for the state and its officials independent of criminal prosecution.
Bottom Line
Tennessee’s SB 1949 would formally classify mRNA injections—including COVID-19 shots, gene therapy products, and nanotechnology platforms—as weapons of mass destruction under state law, ban their manufacture and possession outright, mandate enforcement by government officials under threat of criminal liability, and authorize citizens to sue the state for non-enforcement.
Like similar legislation introduced in Arizona and Minnesota, the bill represents a direct challenge to the federal regulatory framework governing mRNA products by re-casting them not as medical interventions, but as prohibited weapons under criminal statute.
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