|
Governor Bill Lee, in the special session which opened on Aug.
21, asked lawmakers to consider a "red flag" law and a number of
other public safety measures he pitched in the wake of the
murder of three children and three staff members at The Covenant
School in March in Nashville.
But fellow Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state
legislature, would not budge on their refusal to pass any laws
they deem as threats to citizens' right to own guns under the
U.S. Constitution.
Two Democratic lawmakers who had reclaimed their seats after
being expelled over a protest from the House of Representatives
floor against gun violence in April confronted House Speaker
Cameron Sexton as Republicans voted to end the special session
on Tuesday.
A brief scuffle between the two Democrats, Representatives
Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, and the Republican speaker
broke out, with shoves exchanged before other members stepped in
to separate them.
Jones and Pearson, both of whom are Black members of the
predominantly white House, have been outspoken proponents of new
gun laws to help ease violence in the urban areas they
represent.
After being expelled by Republicans from their seats in April,
Jones and Pearson won back their seats in a special election.
Lawmakers did set aside extra funds for existing safety
programs, prompting Lee, the governor, to say that "our state is
safer today as a result of this session."
That sentiment was not shared by Sarah Shoop Neuman, the parent
of a Covenant student who lobbied lawmakers for new gun laws.
After the session ended, she told reporters it was difficult for
her to comprehend that children were murdered at school, yet
lawmakers "took no meaningful action."
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by
Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
