Gov. Bill Lee speaks at MNPD's Midtown precinct, April 11, 2023
Gov. Bill Lee announced on Tuesday a variety of measures to address gun violence, including calling for “new, stronger” order-of-protection laws, an executive order requiring faster reporting of criminal activity by law enforcement and the courts, and requiring the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to review the process for purchasing guns and “operational barriers for sharing information.”
Lee made the announcement during an April 11 news conference at the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Midtown Hills Precinct after he met with law enforcement officials whom he praised for their response to the March 27 Covenant School shooting.
“We can’t stop evil, but we can do something, and when there is a clear need for action, I think that we have an obligation — and I certainly do — to remind people that we should set aside politics and pride and accomplish something that the people of Tennessee want us to get accomplished,” Lee said. “It’s been a very emotionally charged couple of weeks, but we have to stay focused on the path forward. Tennesseans are depending on us.”
Tuesday’s action comes on the heels of an April 3 joint announcement from Lee and Republican leaders in the legislature of a $200 million school safety investment, which includes funding to put a school resource officer in every Tennessee public school, security upgrades at public and private schools, school-based behavioral health liaisons and an expanded “statewide homeland security network” for private and public schools.
“I said at the time that that bill was the next step, but that it wasn’t the last step, and I also said last week and I still say today that we can all agree that it is possible and it is important that we find a way to remove individuals who are a threat to themselves or our society, to remove them from [having] access to weapons,” Lee said Tuesday.
Lee said this new order-of-protection effort would “go beyond the scope” of current laws that normally are issued in instances of domestic violence.
“I’m asking the legislature to bring forth thoughtful, practical measures to do that, to strengthen our laws, to separate those dangerous people from firearms while at the same time preserving the constitutional rights of the people of this state,” the governor said.
Lee told reporters that he wants to complete this effort by the end of the legislative session.
“The existing background check process for purchasing a firearm only works when there is accurate and timely information available,” Lee said, adding that the executive order will “set a 72-hour clock for reporting new criminal activity” and “ensure and require that the courts submit timely, accurate information directly to the TBI.” Additionally, he said, the order would require the TBI “to examine the current process for purchasing firearms, to look at operational barriers for sharing information, to provide a report within 60 days of the issues that exist in that process, so that if there are changes needed we can make those changes.”
Lee said he thinks leaders from both the House and the Senate have “expressed a desire to do something.”
“We should be encouraged that there is a moment in time where people can come together and get something done,” Lee said. “This is our moment to lead and give the people of Tennessee what they deserve.”
Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) offered support for Lee’s announcement. Democrats have repeatedly introduced legislation related to so-called red-flag laws and background checks in recent years.
“In this moment, our families deserve action to stop future gun violence," Akbari says. "The governor is right to make this a priority before session ends. We are ready to work with the governor and the supermajority to get something done.”
A variety of gun-related bills have already been proposed this legislative session, including a bill aimed at holding gun owners accountable when their guns are stolen from vehicles and a bill that would lower the age at which a person can lawfully carry a handgun in public without a permit from 21 to 18.
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance, Ways and Means committee unanimously passed Lee’s school safety bill. The bill does not mention guns, instead focusing on various ways schools can improve their security. Some of the measures include penalizing schools for having unlocked exterior doors and requiring schools to submit safety plans to the state. Democrats have expressed concerns over the bill creating prison-like environments for students and suggested the proposal does nothing to address the causes of gun violence.
“I am decidedly of mixed minds about this,” Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said at the committee hearing. “I want to do everything in the world to make these buildings safer. Also, this is where my children spend their days, [and] I don’t want these to feel too much like fortified entities.”
In 2021, the state’s permitless handgun bill was signed into law by Lee in a ceremony inside of Beretta USA's firearm factory in Gallatin.
That law was the subject of criticism by the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association and Brentwood Police Department, among other law enforcement agencies.
In February, the Biden administration and the U.S. Justice Department announced an investment of more than $231 million in funding to 49 states, territories and the District of Columbia as part of the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program, with the goal of reducing gun violence nationally.
