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| Second Expelled Democrat Is Sent Back to Tennessee House | Second Expelled Democrat Is Sent Back to Tennessee House |
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| NASHVILLE — Local officials unanimously voted on Wednesday to send Justin J. Pearson, one of two Black Democratic representatives ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives after a gun control protest on the House floor, back to his seat in the state legislature. | NASHVILLE — Local officials unanimously voted on Wednesday to send Justin J. Pearson, one of two Black Democratic representatives ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives after a gun control protest on the House floor, back to his seat in the state legislature. |
| The vote came less than a week after Mr. Pearson of Memphis and State Representative Justin Jones of Nashville were abruptly expelled from the legislature, just the third time such a punishment has been used in the state House since the Civil War era. Angered by the disruption of the protest and the disregard for House rules, Republicans quickly moved to expel the pair, though an effort to remove Representative Gloria Johnson, a white lawmaker from Knoxville, failed. | The vote came less than a week after Mr. Pearson of Memphis and State Representative Justin Jones of Nashville were abruptly expelled from the legislature, just the third time such a punishment has been used in the state House since the Civil War era. Angered by the disruption of the protest and the disregard for House rules, Republicans quickly moved to expel the pair, though an effort to remove Representative Gloria Johnson, a white lawmaker from Knoxville, failed. |
| The expulsions of two of the chamber’s youngest Black lawmakers infuriated Democrats, who were already frustrated with their inability to counter the Republican supermajority, and further galvanized the hundreds of demonstrators who repeatedly marched to the State Capitol to call for tougher gun laws after the Covenant School shooting that left three students and three staff members dead. | The expulsions of two of the chamber’s youngest Black lawmakers infuriated Democrats, who were already frustrated with their inability to counter the Republican supermajority, and further galvanized the hundreds of demonstrators who repeatedly marched to the State Capitol to call for tougher gun laws after the Covenant School shooting that left three students and three staff members dead. |
| Officials on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners said they had received thousands of emails and calls from around the county, the country and the world, pleading with them to reappoint Mr. Pearson. | |
| “I want to commend you for standing up for the things that matter to the people of Shelby County and the state of Tennessee,” Commissioner Shante Avant said to Mr. Pearson at Wednesday’s board hearing. “You have done well by us in making sure that our voices can be heard.” | |
| The unanimous vote by the seven Democrats allows Mr. Pearson to be sworn in to his seat as early as Thursday, ahead of a special election later this year. The board’s four Republicans were absent and did not vote. Both Mr. Jones and Mr. Pearson have vowed to run for their seats later this year in special elections. | |
| Mr. Jones has already returned to the State Capitol, triumphantly taking his oath on the building’s steps on Monday after the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County unanimously voted to name him as an interim representative. | Mr. Jones has already returned to the State Capitol, triumphantly taking his oath on the building’s steps on Monday after the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County unanimously voted to name him as an interim representative. |
| Mr. Pearson, who rallied with hundreds of supporters as he marched to Wednesday’s meeting, was relatively new to the legislature after winning a special election in late January. Supporters packed the commission hearing room and cheered when the vote passed, after Mr. Pearson’s father offered a prayer for those present. | |
| “We’ve got people that we have an allegiance to, who are willing to march for justice, who are willing to fight for justice, who are willing to vote for justice, and it is that spirit which I will head back to Nashville with,” Mr. Pearson said after the vote, surrounded by his family. | |
| “You can’t expel hope,” he added. “You can’t expel justice.” | |
| In a sign of the continued Democratic outrage at the expulsions, five U.S. senators, including Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, on Wednesday asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the civil rights of Mr. Jones, Mr. Pearson or their constituents had been violated. | |
| As protesters continue to pressure the legislature to move to tighten access to guns in the state, Republican lawmakers have largely focused on legislation that would pour millions of dollars into security at both public and private schools. But on Tuesday, Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, announced he would sign an executive order tightening background checks for buying guns in the state and speeding up the process of reviewing criminal histories and mental health information from the courts. | As protesters continue to pressure the legislature to move to tighten access to guns in the state, Republican lawmakers have largely focused on legislation that would pour millions of dollars into security at both public and private schools. But on Tuesday, Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, announced he would sign an executive order tightening background checks for buying guns in the state and speeding up the process of reviewing criminal histories and mental health information from the courts. |
| Mr. Lee also called on the legislature to draft and pass what he described as “an order of protection law” that would ensure that people found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others would not have access to guns. He repeatedly declined to refer to the measure as a red flag law, a term some conservatives have resisted both on the state and the national level, instead describing it as “a law that I think is appropriate for our state today.” | Mr. Lee also called on the legislature to draft and pass what he described as “an order of protection law” that would ensure that people found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others would not have access to guns. He repeatedly declined to refer to the measure as a red flag law, a term some conservatives have resisted both on the state and the national level, instead describing it as “a law that I think is appropriate for our state today.” |
| He has been open about the personal impact of the attack at the Covenant School: His wife, Maria, was close friends with Cindy Peak, one of the staff members killed, and the two women were set to have dinner the night of the shooting. | He has been open about the personal impact of the attack at the Covenant School: His wife, Maria, was close friends with Cindy Peak, one of the staff members killed, and the two women were set to have dinner the night of the shooting. |
| Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a Republican, has also expressed support for a red flag law after the Covenant School shooting. Police officials had pointedly noted that while the parents of the shooter believed their child should not own any guns, particularly while receiving treatment for an unspecified emotional disorder, there was no law in Tennessee that could have allowed them to confiscate any weapons. | Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a Republican, has also expressed support for a red flag law after the Covenant School shooting. Police officials had pointedly noted that while the parents of the shooter believed their child should not own any guns, particularly while receiving treatment for an unspecified emotional disorder, there was no law in Tennessee that could have allowed them to confiscate any weapons. |
| “The governor is right to make this a priority before session ends,” said State Senator Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat and the minority leader. She added, “We are ready to work with the governor and we urge our Republican colleagues in the legislature to move quickly to put gun reform legislation on his desk.” | “The governor is right to make this a priority before session ends,” said State Senator Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat and the minority leader. She added, “We are ready to work with the governor and we urge our Republican colleagues in the legislature to move quickly to put gun reform legislation on his desk.” |
| Some Republicans in the state legislature have signaled opposition, warning that such a law could deprive people of individual due process. Nearly 20 states have passed a version of a red flag law, many of them after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. | |
| Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton did not openly weigh in on the measure, instead saying in a statement that any order of protection “must have a level of due process, protections from fraudulent claims and a quick judicial hearing for individuals who pose imminent threats.” | |
| “The House is willing to work toward bipartisan solutions to protect all children at their schools, in their communities and inside their homes,” he added. | |
| The Tennessee Firearms Association, however, declared that “this is not a time to follow a call to passing something, anything now to show the ‘mob’ that Tennessee government responds to emotional calls for gun control.” | The Tennessee Firearms Association, however, declared that “this is not a time to follow a call to passing something, anything now to show the ‘mob’ that Tennessee government responds to emotional calls for gun control.” |
| When Mr. Lee announced support for legislation toughening school security this month, he was flanked by his Republican colleagues. But on Tuesday, he stood alone at a Metropolitan Nashville Police precinct, in front of a banner thanking officers for their swift response to the Covenant School attack. That unaccompanied appearance raised questions about the depth of Republican support for taking weapons away from people deemed to be dangerous. | When Mr. Lee announced support for legislation toughening school security this month, he was flanked by his Republican colleagues. But on Tuesday, he stood alone at a Metropolitan Nashville Police precinct, in front of a banner thanking officers for their swift response to the Covenant School attack. That unaccompanied appearance raised questions about the depth of Republican support for taking weapons away from people deemed to be dangerous. |
| “It’s going to require coming together, laying down our previously held positions potentially, and it really is just going to require finding the things that we agree upon together,” Mr. Lee said. But he acknowledged that the General Assembly “will determine what that process looks like for them.” | “It’s going to require coming together, laying down our previously held positions potentially, and it really is just going to require finding the things that we agree upon together,” Mr. Lee said. But he acknowledged that the General Assembly “will determine what that process looks like for them.” |