Protests in Nashville, Tennessee, to demand action on gun control are continuing following the recent school shooting in the city where three young children and three adults were killed. That tragedy mirrors others that have been unfolding nationwide, with protests also seen around the country, including from students across age groups who recently conducted walkouts in an array of states.
In Tennessee on Monday, protest participants included two members of the state legislature who had recently been expelled by the Republican majority before local administrative bodies in their home areas opted to reinstate both men, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Demonstrators were challenging a measure that had been set for consideration and would’ve evidently provided for teachers carrying firearms.
As the substantially delayed response to the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, at an elementary school last year showed, even many, many so-called good guys with guns don’t mean there will actually be a quick stop to the violence, let alone swift enough action to cut it off entirely. Demonstrators in Tennessee earlier this week once again went into the state Capitol building, where recent protests have also taken place — and where Jones and Pearson expressed support for some of those earlier demonstrations from the House floor prior to their temporary removals.
“Hundreds of protesters shouted at Republican State Reps as they left the chamber for the evening,” journalist Ford Fischer said on Monday. “Moments earlier, the gallery overlooking the Tennessee House floor erupted in boos and shouting as the legislature announced that they would go into recess right before the bill making it easier to arm teachers, which is what the protesters were there to oppose.” The protests at the state Capitol were preceded by other demonstrations and a march outside. A mother of a student from The Covenant School — where the recent shooting happened — spoke to some of those assembled, describing what it had been like to see a fellow school parent learn their child was among those who’d been killed. “Third graders saw the dead bodies of their friends, not just coffins,” the mother, named Sarah, said. “They saw where those bodies laid and where it happened. The trauma won’t leave us or our children.”
At the national level, Democrats continue clamoring for action like a ban on assault weapons and expanded background checks, meeting continued Republican resistance. The fact that weapons used in some of these attacks, like the shooting in Uvalde, have been obtained legally destroys the Republican narrative that changing the laws wouldn’t actually do much substantial. Students in Uvalde were among those who participated in the recent walkout protests around the country, assembling near a memorial established in a central location in the town honoring the many killed.
Fischer’s video thread is viewable by clicking on the post below:
VIDEO THREAD: Tonight both reinstated Tennessee State Reps @Justinjpearson and @brotherjones_ participated in a rally in the Tennessee State House in Nashville for gun control led by @RevDrBarber.
Hundreds of protesters shouted at Republican State Reps as they left the chamber… pic.twitter.com/ak0DU3Dzbs
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) April 18, 2023
Image: Students Demand Action on Twitter, used only for editorial purposes
