Hundreds of students, parents and Tennesseans gathered outside the Tennessee State Capitol Monday to call for gun reform following a fatal school shooting at Antioch High School last week.
Many attendees questioned why school safety was not added to the agenda for the special session on school vouchers, hurricane relief and immigration, which began this week.
Several AHS students spoke about the trauma of their experience during and after the shooting, between chants of “not one more,” “blood on your hands” and “save our kids.”
Relatives of Antioch High School shooting victim Josselin Corea Escalante advocate for gun reform at the Tennessee General Assembly, Jan. 27, 2025
Among the demonstrators were two uncles of 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante, the AHS senior who was killed during the Jan. 22 shooting. They held up a sign and wore shirts bearing her image.
The protests mirrored those seen on and around Capitol Hill following the 2023 Covenant School shooting. One Covenant mother, Sarah Shoop Neumann — who has become a familiar face and voice in Nashville's activist community, and was one of the Scene's 2023 Nashvillians of the Year — was in attendance.
“We have to stand together," Neumann told the crowd. "We have to love our neighbors, all of our neighbors. We have to show up each day for each and every community. The same outpouring of love that Covenant got better be the exact same outpouring of love for Antioch.”
State Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville), who serves the Antioch community, was at the rally and also later offered a moment of silence in the House to recognize the tragedy of the shooting. He spoke in Spanish from the House floor directly to the family of Escalante.
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), who represents the district that Antioch High School sits in, also recognized the death of Escalante.
Relatives of Antioch High School shooting victim Josselin Corea Escalante advocate for gun reform at the Tennessee General Assembly, Jan. 27, 2025
“Josselin was more than a 16-year-old student at Antioch High School,” Oliver said. “She was a daughter, a friend and a young woman filled with dreams and promise.
“Her passing is a heartbreaking reminder of the fragility and sanctity of life," Oliver continued. "Gun violence has taken from us not just a young woman but the potential of all she could have achieved. We should be compelled not only to grieve but to honor her life and memory with action.”
After some regular session business in the afternoon, the House and the Senate each passed a joint resolution to adjourn until Feb. 10. The House passed an additional, conflicting joint resolution to adjourn regular business until Feb. 3.
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“So we’re assuming that we’re going to address the weighty business of this special session in less than one week?” House Democratic Caucus Leader John Ray Clemmons asked.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said legislators would take as long as necessary to deliberate and contended it was just an option that could be moved. The Senate ended up passing only the joint resolution to return on Feb. 10, but the House is still expected to convene its regular session on Feb. 3.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said later, “We’re going to work hard this week and hopefully conclude the special session. There is a chance that could spill over into next week. But if all goes well, we’ll wrap this up this week.”
Both bodies briefly adjourned and the special session began for each at 4 p.m. The seven bills that have been filed on education, immigration, disaster relief and their related appropriations were passed on first consideration.
The House also adopted its rules for the special session. Democrats took exception, contending that the rules don't allow enough time to properly file amendments. Clemmons addressed this in a press conference at the end of the day.
"In the House, it's almost unrealistic for us to get anything timely filed," Clemmons said. "We likely won't be able to file any at all in the committees because they eliminated subcommittees. After second consideration [Tuesday] morning we'll go right into committees. ... The fix is in for the House."
Students assemble outside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for gun reform, Jan. 27, 2025
The House named special committees for the extraordinary session. The list also names their chairs: disaster relief (Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville), education (Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka), finance (Rep. Gary Hicks, R-Rogersville), government operations (Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville), immigration (Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County), transportation (Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland), and calendar and rules (Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington).
The Senate returns at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, while the House returns at 9 a.m., with both to hold committee meetings the rest of the day.
