Gun control advocates in Tennessee are mobilizing against several bills moving through the state legislature. One would lower the age to carry a gun without a permit to 18, and another would arm more school employees.
Wearing red Moms Demand Action t-shirts, about 100 people marched to the state capitol Wednesday.
As the group’s name suggests, many of these protesters are parents. They believe lowering the age from 21 to 18 would be a mistake.
“Most of us are mothers. We’ve raised young people,” says Linda McFadyen-Ketchum. “We know about the struggles of 18-, 19-year-olds. They may be away from home for the first time. They may be struggling with drugs and alcohol. They may have mental health challenges. We know that more of them are taking their lives with guns, and we want to shield them from that.”
While the Tennessee Legislature usually votes in favor of looser gun laws, she says she has reason to hope. This week, Senate Republicans voted down measures that would have allowed for more guns in schools and college campuses.
Activists with @MomsDemand are gathered at Nashville’s downtown presbyterian church. They plan to march to the Tennessee State Capitol to protest lowering the permitless carry age from 21 to 18. @WPLN pic.twitter.com/4waz1JaUi6
— Paige Southwick Pfleger (@PaigePfleger) March 8, 2023
She thinks it is getting harder for lawmakers to ignore the impact of guns.
“They are thinking, ‘This could happen to me. I could have my son taken. I could have my mother shot. Maybe we need to work on this,'” McFadyen-Ketchum says. “And I think that is seeping into the legislature. I hope so … we run on hope and rage.”
While the group is taking several meetings to try and sway lawmakers to vote against bills, they are hoping for the passage of one as well.
It would require gun owners to more safely store their firearms in their cars, making it an offense to leave it unsecured, and requiring owners to report the theft within 24 hours.
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