(The Center Square) – As the official call came for an Aug. 21 special session of the Tennessee Legislature, parents from Nashville’s Covenant School reacted to the details and scope of what Gov. Bill Lee proposed in a range of ways.
Kramer Schmidt, a Covenant parent and Covenant Families Action Fund board member, vowed to do everything he can as a father and Christian to protect children from the dangers of school gun violence following the March 27 killing of six students and staff at the school.
“The class of weapons freely available have made the death toll at our school tragically high,” Schmidt said.
He noted he hears a lot about freedom in Tennessee but also believes children need to be free to be safe at school.
“Our grandparents were members of the Greatest Generation – many of them fought in World War II to preserve and protect the freedoms we hold dear,” Schmidt said. “But we cannot fathom – and we cannot abide – that allowing unfettered access to high-powered firearms to people that wish others harm was the idea of freedom that they fought for.”
Parent Sarah Shoop Neumann, a co-founder of Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows and Covenant Families Action Fund, thanked Lee for calling the special session and more than 50 meetings at the Tennessee legislative offices. She also applauded the proposed additional funding and mental health resources that are proposed to be made available.
“It’s not just the substance of the bills though, we will be watching policy makers to see if they come with a level of seriousness that befits what they will be debating and considering. We want lawmakers to treat one another with respect and we will be hosting daily briefings on whether the proceedings of the special session really honor the lives lost at the Covenant School and really all the lives that are lost daily to gun violence in Tennessee,” Neumann said.
Several gun rights organizations, however, have opposed Lee’s special session.
The Firearms Policy Coalition pointed out Lee’s proclamation for the special session included a red flag law in its overall scope, believing it was hidden in the announcement.
“Notice it isn’t one of the seven items listed in this statement, but on the official call, which he links at the very bottom in the very last word,” the group wrote. “There’s a reason he’s hiding it. He knows it’s wrong but is more concerned with appeasing emotions than protecting your rights.”
The National Association for Gun Rights, meanwhile, suggested Tennessee’s General Assembly censure Lee over the call, saying any law that allows the government to determine who can own a firearm undermines the Second Amendment.
“It is clear that Gov. Bill Lee is blatantly flaunting his power to call a special session while ignoring his constituents and the voices of those they chose to represent them,” Dudley Brown, National Association for Gun Rights President, said in a statement. “Elected Republicans at all levels of the state openly oppose this special session on Biden-backed gun control, and Lee’s executive order is not in line with the values of the Second Amendment or United States Constitution.”
