Hundreds of people representing more than 100 gun safety advocacy organizations gathered near the Tennessee State Capitol Tuesday, calling for the passage of “common-sense gun reform” in the ongoing legislative session.
The event included representatives from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of the Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy network. Also present were elected officials, faith leaders and victims of gun violence from across the state.
Speakers included the Rev. Aaron Marble of Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church; Mothers Over Murder executive and committee member Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick, who lost her son to gun violence; Tennessee Students Demand Action volunteer and survivor of the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting Drew Spiegel; Tennessee Students Demand Action volunteer (and one of the Scene’s Nashvillians of the Year) Ibtihal Cheko; Memphis pediatric trauma surgeon Dr. Regan Williams; actor and advocate Candice King; and young Tennessean Marco Vicencio Warbington.
Four people in attendance were family members of Cookeville High School senior Alex Brooks, who was shot and killed in October by another teen in a park. Brooks’ family is now speaking out in support of stronger gun laws, as well as launching a nonprofit mentoring program in Brooks’ memory and bringing attention to a case they argue was a miscarriage of justice.
“It took my grandson to get killed for me to take part in a demonstration like this,” Debbie Bates told the Scene. “We ought to worry about everybody’s kids, and I'm sad to say that — I'm really sad to say that — it took that long for me to do something about it.”
Despite a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly called last year by Gov. Bill Lee to ostensibly consider gun safety, virtually no meaningful legislation was passed by the state in 2023. A number of bills related to guns and public safety have been filed this session.
See photos from Tuesday's protest above.
