Lawmakers delay all firearm-related bills one week in wake of Covenant School shooting

Several gun-related bills have been advancing through the Tennessee General Assembly this session, but now Republicans are tabling those discussions. Lawmakers say it’s out of respect for victims of the Covenant School shooting.

The Senate Judiciary committee calendar is filled with several gun-related bills. One creates a misdemeanor for leaving a firearm in a car or boat without properly locking it away. Another allows faculty and staff at schools to carry a concealed handgun.

More: A record-breaking number of guns have been stolen from cars in Tennessee. State Democrats are introducing legislation to crack down on gun owners.

But on Tuesday, the committee’s chairman, Sen. Todd Gardenhire, placed a pause on those bills.

“All bills related to anything to do with guns or that type of situation is rolled to next week. Yesterday was (a) tragic event in the country and in the state and in Nashville. And we need to be respectful of those victims and the families of the victims,” said Gardenhire.

Gardenhire made that announcement at the beginning of the meeting and then called for a moment of silence and a prayer.