(The Center Square) – Tennessee Democratic leaders have begun a push for gun legislation including a new website and a statewide bus tour heading into a special session starting Aug. 21.
Gov. Bill Lee has said he will issue a call for the special session about a week before it is set to begin but has not yet issued specifics as he has met with interest groups on the topic over the past few months.
The Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus started TNUnderTheGun.com to post gun violence information which says that 29 people have been killed in mass shootings this year in Tennessee, including the three students and three staff members killed in the shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School that was an important part of the call for this special session.
The website defines a mass shooting as a time when four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. The website also cites a Sycamore Institute report on gun violence in Tennessee, which states that gunfire has become the leading cause of death among Tennessee children ages 1 to 18.
Tennessee had a record 1,570 firearm deaths in 2021, with 52% of those coming by suicide.
State Democratic leaders also announced they would hold a statewide bus tour they say is not designed to be partisan where they hope to hear from Tennessee residents on gun control issues.
The tour will have eight stops, starting in Memphis and moving across the state over the two weeks heading into the special session with a final stop at the state capitol as the session begins.
“Too often we, state legislators, spend a great deal of time up here in the state capitol spinning our wheels about important issues,” House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons said. “We want the people of Tennessee to be able to see us in person and share their opinions, ideas, concerns and objections directly with us in their own communities.”
Clemmons invited Lee and Republicans from the Legislature to join Democratic leaders on the tour stops.
While Lee has not announced the legislative topics he plans to introduce in the special session, a hot topic is the red flag law he called a temporary mental health order of protection.
The proposal has met with opposition from House Republicans and interest groups across the state and country since it was announced.
