State leaders patronize students asking for action on gun reform, expel the legislators who cheered them on

BY BILL FREEMAN

Following the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, thousands of students and allies joined together in a strong show of protest against the current state of gun laws in Tennessee. These students, grieving and fearful, showed up in peaceful protest, pleading for better gun laws. But some Republican lawmakers did not want to hear it, and instead turned their focus toward the three Democratic legislators who took charge in assisting the students

Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville and Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis acknowledged the protesters from the House floor. Jones took to the well of the House with a bullhorn, and the three led chants for gun reform for the students. Though the three were trying to let the students know they were heard and understood, other legislators called it “disorderly behavior” and grounds for expulsion. The two young Black representatives, Pearson and Jones, were expelled from their House seats. Johnson remains in her seat.

Legislators used words like “decorum” to explain their argument for expulsion. But as the Tennessee Lookout notes: “House Republicans didn’t care about decorum when former Rep. David Byrd was credibly accused of sexually assaulting high school basketball players he coached, nor when the FBI raided the homes and offices of three GOP House members, nor when former Sen. Brian Kelsey was indicted on federal charges.”

As The Tennessean noted on April 6, “No House member has ever been removed from elected office for simply violating decorum rules.” So why now?

According to the expulsion resolutions, the three “did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions.” But what about the dishonor this brings to our state? What about the dishonor brought to the students, who go unheard because the expulsion of these legislators has taken the national spotlight?

The expulsions of Pearson and Jones did nothing good for Tennessee’s reputation. Expelling two young Black legislators makes the Republican legislators appear racist, and the original plea for gun reform by students has been brushed to the side. According to British newspaper The Independent: “In America, even the most stirring calls to action to prevent mass shootings have a way of quickly being forgotten or neutralised.

No matter how many victims speak out, no matter how many legislators call for a new approach, no matter how awful the details of each new massacre at hand — little has been done in decades to change the way guns are accessed in the U.S., aside from Republicanled states making it easier to carry pistols without a permit.”

Gov. Bill Lee told students who showed up at the Capitol, “You’re heard.” He said this with legislation on the table — House Bill 1158 — to lower the permitless carry age from 21 to 18.

Gov. Lee’s solution to gun violence in schools is to place an armed security guard at every Tennessee public school, boost security at both public and private schools, and provide additional mental health resources. And then what? Bars on the windows? Treating students as if they are the prisoners is hardly conducive to creating a good learning environment. If anything, it could lead to students feeling even more fearful and anxious. After all, anytime an armed guard is needed nearby, doesn’t that always indicate imminent danger? Further, mass shootings don’t happen only at schools. Will we be provided with armed guards at the grocery store, the mall, bars?

The focus should be on identifying the root cause of the problem, which is the easy availability of guns in the country and here in Tennessee. CNN reported in 2021: “The U.S. has the highest firearm homicide rate in the developed world. In 2019, the number of U.S. deaths from gun violence was about 4 per 100,000 people. That’s 18 times the average rate in other developed countries.” Allowing people to purchase guns without proper background checks, training or licensing is irresponsible and dangerous. Expelling lawmakers because they are advocating for gun reform alongside their constituents? Even if you disagree with their position, that is not right. When politics are prioritized over the need to create a safer and more just society, that is just plain unacceptable.

Bill

Freeman

Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.

Justin Jones

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 did not vote.

The move drew national attention.

“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “Across Tennessee and across America, our kids are paying the price for the actions of Republican lawmakers.”

Jones was first elected to the House last year. Previously, he was a frequent presence in and around the Capitol as a protester and organizer. In 2019, he was banned from the Capitol after he was accused of throwing a cup at then-House Speaker Glen Casada during a chaotic protest over a bust honoring Confederate general and KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest. Jones said he filed a police report after an altercation with Rep. Justin Lafferty (R-Knoxville) following the House earlier this week agreeing to consider the expulsion efforts.

Johnson was represented by former Reps. John Mark Windle and Mike Stewart.

Johnson was first elected to the House in 2012 but lost reelection after a single term. She returned to the legislature after winning another bid in 2018.

Johnson was one of the main lawmakers pushing for expulsion of former Rep. David Byrd, a Republican who apologized in a recorded conversation for sexually abusing a minor student when he was a basketball coach. Republicans killed that expulsion effort. Casada was forced to step down as speaker following a scandal involving racy texts sent between him and his chief of staff

Cade Cothren; both were later arrested on fraud charges. Republicans did not push to remove Casada from the legislature.

Several Republicans joined with Democrats to deny the resolution a twothirds majority by a single vote.

“I may have broken a rule, but the words in this document are false, and I did what I was compelled to do based on speaking for the voters in my district who were begging me to bring this forward,” Johnson said.

Pearson was appointed earlier this year to fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime Rep. Barbara Cooper. He won a competitive Democratic primary in a special election for the seat.

“We committed no crime,” Pearson said. “We did nothing but come to this floor to say we need to listen to the voices of our constituents who are chanting to end gun violence.”

Pearson argued that he was never informed about the rules of the House, which were voted on before he came to the Capitol. He also said that Thursday’s hearings were “the first day that I’ve seen something that is even a semblance of democracy, even on a day when this democracy is being challenged.”

Asked why she survived the vote but Jones and Pearson did not, Johnson said, “It might have to do with the color of our skin.”

This article was originally published in our sister publication, the Nashville Post.