Republicans in Tennessee 'shrugging' after school shooting, White House says

[April 05, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in Tennessee who are moving to oust Democratic legislators for joining an anti-gun violence protest are "shrugging in the face" of another school shooting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.  

Protesters gather outside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for an end to gun violence and support stronger gun laws after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr//File Photo

Republican-majority Tennessee's state legislature took the first steps on Monday to expel Democratic legislators who joined hundreds of young protesters last week following a shooting at a school in Nashville that killed six people, including three children, on March 27.

"What we're seeing from Florida to Tennessee in the United States are Republican officials who are doubling down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship and communities less safe," Jean-Pierre said.

More than 1,000 people flooded Tennessee's statehouse during a protest organized by mothers on Thursday; three elected Democratic lawmakers who joined were accused of "disorderly behavior" in resolutions filed by Republicans.

"What they're doing with these three Democratic legislators are shrugging in the face of yet another tragic school shooting while our kids continue to pay the price," Jean-Pierre said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Heather Timmons; editing by Grant McCool)

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