MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Monday he has set the date for a special legislative session for the state’s General Assembly to tackle public safety for Aug. 21, 2023.
Lee said previously the special lawmaking session would be dedicated to possible changes to the state's gun laws in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nashville.
Lawmakers sped up to finish their annual session in April without taking action on a gun control plan offered by Lee after the March 27 deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, which killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at the Christian school.
“After speaking with members of the General Assembly, I am calling for a special session on August 21 to continue our important discussion about solutions to keep Tennessee communities safe and preserve the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Gov. Lee in a news release. “There is broad agreement that action is needed, and in the weeks ahead, we’ll continue to listen to Tennesseans and pursue thoughtful, practical measures that strengthen the safety of Tennesseans, preserve Second Amendment rights, prioritize due process protections, support law enforcement and address mental health.”
Tennessee Republicans were facing national pressure after they expelled two young Black Democratic lawmakers for a protest over gun control on the state House floor, as protesters filled the galleries above. The lawmakers have since been reinstated. For weeks, students, parents, politicians and others protested for more restrictions to be added to Tennessee's gun-friendly laws at the Capitol.
Hours after lawmakers wrapped up their session April 21, Lee announced that he would call them back for the special session to work “to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights.”
Lee has proposed the creation of a “temporary mental health order of protection," which aims to keep guns away from people who could harm themselves or others. Enough Republicans joined gun lobby groups in opposition to keep Lee’s proposal from coming to a vote last week.
Some on the other side of the guns’ debate argued that Lee’s proposed measure didn’t go far enough. Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy group, said that the three-to-five-day period between when law enforcement would file a petition with a court to seize firearms and when a court hearing would generally occur under the proposal “could be the difference between life and death.”
Some Republican lawmakers have since said they want to review The Covenant School shooter's writings, which police have not yet released, before deciding how state law needs to be changed.
Rep. John Ray Clemmons, the Democratic House Caucus Chairman from Nashville, called on lawmakers to “focus less on what was in a ‘manifesto’ and more on how we’re going to work together across the aisle to enact a law that will allow for the timely and temporary removal of firearms from individuals who pose a threat to themselves and others.”
Lee said top lawmakers gave input on his proposal and he argued it isn’t a “red flag law.” He called that term a “toxic political label meant to draw lines in the sand so nothing gets done.”
In a cool reception after the proposal's release, House Republicans didn’t appear to make a distinction on terminology, saying in a caucus statement that "any red flag law is a non-starter.”
Tennesseans are invited to share feedback ahead of the special session HERE.