WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday thanked three Tennessee lawmakers for "standing up" after they faced expulsion for participating in gun control protests at their statehouse.
"You're standing up for our kids, you're standing up for our communities," Biden told Rep. Justin Pearson, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Gloria Johnson during an Oval Office meeting.
Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden described the expulsion votes as "shocking" and "undemocratic."
"Nothing is guaranteed about our democracy — every generation has to fight for it," he said.
The episode has turned the lawmakers, known as the "Tennessee three," into Democratic heroes. Harris already visited Nashville earlier this month to show her support.
The statehouse protest took place days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school where three children and three adults were killed. The three lawmakers — Rep. Justin Pearson, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Gloria Johnson — approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn as protesters filled the galleries.
The Republicans who control the Tennessee legislature called for their expulsion because they disrupted House proceedings. Pearson and Jones, both Black, were expelled, while Johnson was not.
Pearson and Jones were later reinstated on an interim basis by local officials, and they plan to run in a special election to finish their terms.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week that Biden was "proud" and "appreciative" to see the three state representatives calling for stronger gun restrictions, particularly a ban on so-called assault weapons.
During a phone call earlier this month, Biden thanked them "for speaking out and for standing their ground, and being very clear about what's needed to protect their communities," Jean-Pierre said.
Statement from Rep. Justin Pearson
"Yesterday, I was honored to visit the White House where I met with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Ambassador Susan Rice, and other senior advisors. Our conversation focused on how we can prevent gun violence, make sure our communities are safe and preserve our democracy.
President Biden thanked me and my fellow Tennessee General Assembly colleagues, Representative Gloria Johnson and Representative Justin Jones, for standing up for the grieving parents, frightened children and fed-up communities in our state and across the nation to speak the truth about the need for common sense gun legislation.
“But, you know, you’re standing up for our kids. You’re standing up for our communities–safer communities–and democratic values. That’s what it’s all about,” President Biden said to us.
I appreciate President Biden and Vice President Harris for assuring us that they will do all they can within their executive powers to support common sense gun legislation and put an end to the senseless killing of people in our schools and communities. What happened in the Tennessee General Assembly with the “Tennessee Three” and the thousands who marched on our state capitol is a moment that has catalyzed a movement–a movement for Justice and the eradication of gun violence.
On behalf of District 86 and all Tennesseans, I have proposed legislation to remove weapons of war from our streets, rather than add guns to our schools. District 86 and communities across our nation deserve safer streets, not schools outfitted like fortresses with armed teachers and guards. Tennesseans and communities across our nation also need and deserve more federal and state funds devoted to them to generate equal access to a clean environment, healthcare, quality education and economic advancement because we know investing in our communities is the greatest prevention to gun violence.
The visit to the White House presented a shining opportunity to elevate the need for common sense gun legislation before our nation’s leaders and the world and to continue to galvanize the people across our nation who represent multiple generations, races and ethnicities; socioeconomic statuses and political ideologies to keep pushing forward, speaking truth to power and believing that justice is possible and is the only solution.
Representatives Johnson, Jones and I will continue to amplify the voices of our constituents in the state house, across our nation and beyond our borders for justice and democracy. We will keep fighting."