A year after the Covenant school shooting in Nashville sparked a mass movement for gun control among parents, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have accelerated their attacks on democratic norms. The response to the shooting included increased spending on school police officers, a law protecting gun and ammunition manufacturers from liability, and the temporary expulsion of two Black lawmakers as a warning to those causing trouble.
Republicans have established a dominant position in Tennessee over the last 14 years, turning the state into a one-party system. Voter disenfranchisement due to strict rights restoration processes has helped maintain this political advantage. The leadership in the state has shifted to extreme conservatives who believe they have broad sovereignty to govern, regardless of national government actions.
In response to the mass movement for gun control following the Covenant shooting, Tennessee Republicans changed rules to limit signs in committee rooms while allowing guns, even though guns are prohibited in the capitol. Outside the capitol, thousands of people rallied for gun control, mobilized by a legal environment that made it difficult to disarm individuals with mental illness.
Despite public support for gun safety measures, the special legislative session ended without passing red flag laws or other gun safety measures. Activists like Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick, whose son was killed in a shooting, have faced challenges in getting Republican lawmakers to listen to their concerns. Republican lawmakers have continued to chip away at democratic norms in Tennessee, with critics warning of a growing sense of political despair in the state.
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