Crowds Rally Against Gun Violence at State Capitol

Thousands of Nashvillians gathered downtown Wednesday night and Thursday morning to honor the victims of this week’s Covenant School shooting and demand action from lawmakers. Where Wednesday night’s vigil was a space for the community to grieve and mourn together, Thursday’s rally was a demonstration of righteous anger and calls for action. 

Seniors, school-age children and even moms holding babies crowded Legislative Plaza shortly after 8 a.m. on Thursday. They held signs, chanted, sang and yelled as Republican state lawmakers entered the House and Senate chambers within the Tennessee State Capitol. Democratic leaders, meanwhile, joined the protests and urged people on. 

“I think people are way past tired,” said Rep. Torrey Harris (D-Memphis) in the lobby of the Capitol. “You won’t see one Republican stand with these people, with these families today, who are hurting. And it's heartbreaking, because there's so much that we could do right now.”

Outside, speakers discussed gun violence, criticized the lawmakers who are unwilling to restrict gun access and urged people to vote in upcoming elections. They also repeated the names of the victims of the Covenant School shooting.

“I've worked in trauma centers and treated countless victims of gunshot wounds,” said Dr. Katrina Greene, an emergency physician. “Some who were young children and teens. … One thing my training did not prepare me for was the soul-crushing, heartbreaking sound of the wails of mothers when you tell them that their child has died.”

One speaker, Shaundelle Brooks, lost one of her sons in the 2018 Waffle House shooting. “I’m grieving with Nashville and everyone impacted by yet another senseless act of gun violence in our schools,” said Brooks. “Another tragic example of how urgent this public health crisis is in our country. How many more of our children have to die in our schools before lawmakers act? We deserve to learn and live without fear. We deserve to go out to eat without fear.”

"I just am tired of doing prayer vigils for victims of gun violence," said Rev. Matt Steinhauer, interim pastor of Franklin's St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

Inside the Capitol, throngs of protesters filled hallways and balconies above the House and Senate floors. After being warned about disrupting legislative business by Republican leaders, protesters were removed from the chambers.

Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) also sought to interrupt floor proceedings and call for gun control, with their chants and use of a bullhorn later seemingly admonished by fellow Democrats, including Minority Leader Karen Camper, according to video posted by Main Street Nashville reporter Vivian Jones.

Though Republican leadership in Tennessee has typically been loath to consider restrictions on gun ownership in recent years, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, the Republican leader of the Senate, said Thursday that he is open to a red-flag law and opposed expanding open carry to long guns. Per NewsChannel 5’s Chris Davis, McNally added that he is not sure whether other Republican leaders will agree with him. 

Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga), said the Senate Judiciary Committee that he chairs will not consider any gun-related legislation for the rest of the year. Earlier this week, Republican leaders opted to push consideration of gun bills to next week.  

“This committee is not gonna be turned into a circus by people with other agendas,” he said, according to the Tennessee Lookout. 

According to a recent Vanderbilt University Medical Center poll, a significant majority of Tennessee parents believe that schools would be safer if background checks were required for all gun sales and if the state had a red-flag law allowing families or law enforcement to restrict someone’s access to guns temporarily. Neither option has gained much traction in Tennessee, with Republican leaders instead opting to focus on school security.

At the federal level, Tennessee Republican Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn, who attended the Nashville vigil on Wednesday, last year voted against a bipartisan gun control bill that included incentives for states to pass red-flag laws and the closing of the “boyfriend loophole” that allows some domestic abusers to buy guns.