Discussion of proposed gun reform legislation quickly turned into a heated exchange between Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) on Wednesday.
At the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Pearson presented House Bill 1392, legislation that would repeal Tennessee’s permitless carry law for firearms, which has been in place since 2021. He noted an uptick in gun violence since the bill was passed.
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Analysis from The Trace, a nonprofit journalism site focused on gun violence, found there were 11 percent more deaths from shootings in Tennessee in the 30 months after permitless carry went into effect, compared to the 30 months prior. Firearms are the leading cause of death among Tennessee children, according to the The 2024 "State of the Child in Tennessee" report from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
“We have a responsibility to not let politics stop us from good public policy,” Pearson said at the committee meeting. “Realizing that the lives of our people is what is paramount, not the wishes of the NRA or the TFA or other people. We as legislators have the opportunity to right a wrong.”
Farmer, a member of the subcommittee, criticized Pearson for his absence at the legislature in recent months due to his brother’s death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in December.
“I know every member in this committee’s been here this year working during committee, during session, voting on bills,” Farmer said. “And I know you may have some things going on, but you have not. So I don’t think it’s fair for you to come in front of this committee and lecture us on hard work and convictions and hard work for our committee.”
Pearson responded, saying Farmer’s comments made him “very, very angry.”
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“It is a pathetic excuse for you to not answer the question of why we are doing nothing about the gun violence epidemic, then to personally attack me,” Pearson said. He continued, describing the past several months working through his grief with his family while also working with constituents in Memphis.
Pearson then began yelling and pointing at Farmer from the podium. Pearson’s bill then failed 2-7 in the subcommittee, which then broke for recess. Pearson quickly approached Farmer, continuing to yell. He was restrained by several people.
Pearson released a statement about the altercation Wednesday night:
“I took issue with how Rep. Farmer mischaracterized my service and commitment to the people who elected me,” Pearson said in the statement. “Not being physically present in Nashville this session does not mean I have shirked my responsibilities as a state representative.
“My physical absence during this session was excused and does not preclude me from speaking up for my district or against my colleagues’ refusal to address the gun violence epidemic in our state and country. In fact, I not only spoke as an elected official, but also as a brother directly impacted by gun violence.”
Tensions over gun control legislation have heightened since the 2023 Covenant Shooting — which took place exactly two years ago — and January’s shooting at Antioch High School. Pearson and fellow Democratic Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) were expelled from the state legislature by their Republican opponents in 2023 following their protests against gun violence on the House floor. The two — who along with Knoxville Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) became known as the Tennessee Three — were quickly returned to their seats by their constituents.
Several other Democrat-led bills aiming to curb gun violence were deferred or failed in the House subcommittee Wednesday.
HB 563/SB 807, sponsored by Nashville Democrats Rep. Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) and Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville), would have made it a class-C misdemeanor to store a firearm or ammunition in a vehicle while a person is not in the vehicle, unless the firearm or ammunition was kept locked in a trunk, utility or glove box or locked container. It also would have required the owner of the firearm to report the loss or theft to law enforcement within 24 hours. That bill failed in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Wednesday.
