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Shelby County Commissioner holds forum for gun safety, discusses impact of Memphis gun referendums

After gun referendums overwhelmingly passed on election night, Shelby County Commissioner Erica Sugarmon hosted a forum for her district to weigh in on gun safety.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After gun referendums in Memphis overwhelmingly passed on election night, Shelby County Commissioner Erica Sugarmon hosted a forum for her district to weigh in on how gun violence is affecting Shelby County.

Attendees heard from Memphis police, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the families of victims of gun violence who are calling for a change.

In addition to calling for a stop to gun violence in their community, Sugarmon is also looking for more community resources and fewer developments, like storage facilities and payday loan companies, to come into District 12. This district houses about 70,000 people, who said that they are ready to not only hold the Sheriff’s Office and police officers accountable, but also hold one another accountable when they have safety concerns. 

One of the most moving moments for many was when the family of Fernando Jones, a 48-year-old man who was shot multiple times and killed last month when he saw a car on his property being broken into, spoke about the impact of his death. 

After the gun referendums in Memphis ballots were overwhelmingly approved on election night, city council chairman JB Smiley said he expects to be challenged, but he will keep fighting for the ordinance to be passed. And because of events like the one Sugarmon hosted, he asks for the Tennessee General Assembly to understand that they won’t stop until they have gun control in Memphis.

He and Sugarmon also say they are working to expand these measures to the rest of Shelby County, and hope they will have the opportunity to vote on similar referendums in the county.

Referendums act as a poll for the city, and nothing will happen as direct result of it receiving support or not. Instead, if the referendums pass, it acts as a signal for the City Council to potentially put a new law in place.

Memphis City Council approved the gun referendums in July for the November 2024 ballot for voters to decide whether to amend the City of Memphis charter to restrict gun carry within the city, despite the Tennessee law allowing for permitless carry.

After the city faced challenges from county and state officials over the gun measures, Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson ruled the three gun safety measures for Memphis can be on the November ballot.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti later approved the decision to allow the ruling to appear on the ballot, while also criticizing the referendum and claiming that it will not lead to a change in the law.

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