Gun Control Protesters Show Up In Tennessee As ‘Public Safety’ Special Session Begins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A special session of the Tennessee General Assembly called by Republican Governor Bill Lee to deal with “public safety” began on Monday as Left-leaning protesters gathered to push for more gun control.

The August 21 special session comes months after a transgender-identifying shooter killed six people at The Covenant School in Nashville, and Lee has advocated for a variation of a red flag law. In his proclamation earlier this month, Lee said that the session would deal with issues of mental health, gun storage guidelines, human trafficking, and “temporary mental health orders of protection.”

The first meeting of the Senate ended after about 20 minutes while the House session went on for almost two hours. Republican Senator Janice Bowling moved to the end the session saying that it there was no emergency that required the extra meeting. Last week Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said that red flag laws and any kind of order of protection laws had a zero percent chance of making it through during the special session.
Debate in the House focused on the rules, including debate on whether to adopt new disciplinary rules for members who cause disruptions.
During the debate, Democrat lawmakers claimed the rules were undemocratic and Rep. Justin Jones claimed Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton was racist. Jones was previously expelled from the House for helping to lead a protest from the House floor that disrupted proceedings.
After 80 minutes of debate, the rules package passed 73-23. “These rules provide equality for 99 members who represent 7 million Tennesseans,” Republican Rep. Gino Bulso said. “If a member cannot conduct the member’s self with civility, they ought to sit down.”
Democrat Rep. Jeremy Pearson, another of the Democrats who was expelled for leading a protest from the House floor, said Republicans only offer thoughts and prayers after shootings. Pearson previously voted against a bipartisan bill that included school safety measures in the aftermath of the Covenant shooting.
Protesters chanted and screamed at Republican lawmakers as they left the House floor after the session was adjourned. Some protesters in and around the capitol building in Nashville held up signs like “we demand gun reform,” “protect kids not guns,” and “no more dead children.” Several groups were wearing shirts by the group Moms Demand Action and a group of Covenant mothers.
There were several people in attendance who opposed of red flag laws. Chavez Lopez, who works as an electrical engineer in Nashville, said that he was there to make his voice heard and support the Second Amendment. He told The Daily Wire he was disappointed that there were not more pro-Second Amendment protesters present.
Several members of the Nashville Young Republicans were also present at the capitol. “The Nashville Young Republicans are proud to stand with our leaders as they advocate for the safety of our communities across the state. Our Republican leadership needs our support as they continue to fight to ensure that gun rights are not curtailed in our state,” the Nashville Young Republicans told The Daily Wire after both the Senate and House had adjourned.

WH Spox Says Biden Has ‘Been There Since Day One’ For Maui. Here’s Where He Actually Was

A spokesperson for President Joe Biden said that when Biden arrived in Maui — nearly two weeks after wildfires swept through western Maui — one of his priorities would be to make sure residents were aware that he had “been there since day one.”

The president and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Maui on Monday — after reporters pressed Biden several times about when he planned to make the trip — to tour the damage to the historic town of Lahaina and the surrounding areas.

Biden spokesperson Olivia Dalton says Biden will "make sure that he communicates to [Maui residents] that not only have we been there since day one, has he been there since day one…" 🤔 pic.twitter.com/NgK2quOhxf

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 21, 2023

But in response to the claims made by spokesperson Olivia Dalton — namely that Biden had been there “since day one” — critics pointed out that on “day one” of the deadly fires that have left more than 100 dead and hundreds still missing, the president was actually on vacation.

Day 1 https://t.co/ecxh1X85Ol pic.twitter.com/JoCnvVWyee

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 21, 2023

When members of the press caught up with President Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, they asked him directly about the rising death toll in Maui. His response, when asked whether he had anything to say on the subject, was simple: “No, no comment.”

Several days later, when he returned to the White House from his weekend at the beach, staffers kept members of the press corps cordoned off as he walked from Marine One to the West Wing, so far away from them that he couldn’t hear their shouted questions.

When he left Washington again, headed to Wisconsin for a speech touting his economy, he responded to reporters’ shouted questions with nothing more than a smile and a brief wave of his hand.

Biden again SMIRKS as he ignores reporters asking for comment on the rising death toll of the Maui wildfires pic.twitter.com/EYSkUM00e3

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 15, 2023

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out the disparity in the way that corporate media had covered Biden’s failure to answer questions, noting that previous presidents had been vilified for far less.

“George Bush was mauled for merely flying over New Orleans as citizens drowned during Katrina. Ted Cruz was mocked in a week-long news cycle for leaving Texas during its electricity crisis. Not only hasn’t Biden visited Maui, but twice vacationed and has barely spoken on it,” Greenwald said early Monday, prior to Biden’s arrival there.

I always found these demands for symbolic gestures a bit overblown, but Biden's sitting on beaches and saying "no comment" during this horrific fire disaster is the worst of these.

Like 2020, most corporate media simply will not do anything that undermines his election chances.

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 21, 2023

“I always found these demands for symbolic gestures a bit overblown, but Biden’s sitting on beaches and saying ‘no comment’ during this horrific fire disaster is the worst of these,”Greenwald continued. “Like 2020, most corporate media simply will not do anything that undermines his election chances.”

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