Amy Grant, Sheryl Crow and other top artists push lawmakers for gun reform measures

A group of Nashville music industry heavy hitters are calling for the Tennessee General Assembly to pass "common sense gun safety legislation" before lawmakers end their session, a timeline that is rapidly dwindling as legislators push to finish within days after weeks of political controversy.

Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Kacey Musgraves and Jason Isbell are among the dozens of signees calling for extreme risk protection laws and legislation strengthening requirements around secure storage of firearms. The letter was drafted in the wake of the deadly Covenant School shooting.

"Gun violence in Tennessee is not inevitable," the group said. "We are not hopeless, and we will not accept inaction. This does not have to be our normal and we ask that you stand with us! We know that gun safety laws work. Policies like extreme risk protection laws and secure storage of firearms can save lives. And we ask that you keep your session open until these policies are put into place."

Crow and Grant joined a group of artists, including Ruby Amanfu and Will Hoge, on Tuesday to deliver the letter to state lawmakers, sitting down with House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and others.

"We need to put the safety of our children above politics and special interests," the group said in their letter. "We appreciate Governor Lee taking steps towards creating a safer community against gun violence, however we believe these are only the first steps in improving the safety for our children and Tennesseans. It's time for you to pass effective measures that will keep guns out of dangerous hands before the shooting starts."

Gov. Bill Lee last week implored lawmakers to pass an extreme risk law, a form of emergency court action that allows law enforcement to temporarily confiscate weapons from anyone deemed a risk to themselves or others. New polling shows strong bipartisan support in Tennessee for extreme risk laws, which are often referred to as "red flag" laws.

But the colloquial term is considered toxic in gun-rights circles, and Republican lawmakers appear hesitant to run afoul of the groups, even as similar laws have been passed in conservative states like Florida. The National Rifle Association this week asked people to call their lawmakers to oppose potential extreme-risk laws.

Lawmakers continue to say conversations are ongoing about possible extreme-risk legislation this year. Still, the desire to finish 2023 legislative business by the end of the week and avoid future run-ins with gun-reform protesters, who have defined the Tennessee political mood in the wake of the Covenant shooting, may complicate efforts to pass any significant reforms this year.

Grant on Tuesday said the group is calling for action sooner rather than later after the "groundswell" of emotion following the Covenant shooting.

"Anything that's pushed to a later agenda just loses momentum," Grant said. "There's too much pain to lose momentum."

The Christian singer-songwriter said the group of creatives understands "what focused conversations can do."

"As songwriters, there's not a song when you show up at 10 a.m. — you just talk until the ideas come together. There is a force in communication, especially when it's a shared goal. By the end of the day, you've got a chorus," Grant said. "You actually can create something out of nothing with the right kind of concerted effort, and it can be game-changing."

The artists' letter is being published by Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan group that formed in the wake of the Covenant shooting and is heavily lobbying lawmakers behind the scenes.

The group also organized thousands to turn out in Nashville on Tuesday night to link arms and form a human chain in a push for extreme risk laws, stronger laws for gun storage and better background checks. The chain is set to stretch to the Tennessee Capitol from Monroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital — which is where victims of the Covenant School shooting were taken on March 27.

A simultaneous event is also set to happen on Market Square in downtown Knoxville.

Grant said Tuesday her meetings with lawmakers had been illuminating on the complex, nuanced issue, but she hopes lawmakers listened to their plea for bipartisan change to help protect Tennessee children.

"What we're trying to say is we're laying down our differences and coming together in a circle. Please do the same as our representatives," Grant said.

The letter was signed by:

• Allison Moorer

• Allison Russell

• Amy Grant

• Ben Folds

• Ben Rector

• Brandy Clark

• Brittany Howard

• Brittney Spencer

• Charlie Worsham

• Devon Gilfillian

• Drew & Ellie Holcomb

• Emmylou Harris

• Gabe Simon

• Hayes Carll

• Jason Isbell

• Jars of Clay

• Jess Ray

• Jimi Westbrook

• John Tibbs

• Kacey Musgraves

• Karen Fairchild

• Kelsea Ballerini

• Kelsey Waldon

• Ketch Secor

• Langhorn Slim

• Leah Blevins

• Lola Kirke

• Lucie Silvas

• Lucinda Williams

• Lydia Luce

• Madeline Edwards

• Maggie Rose

• Margaret Becker

• Margo Price

• Maren Morris

• Martina McBride

• Mat Kearney

• Matt Maher

• Maxi Diaz

• Michelle Branch

• Mickey Guyton

• Miko Marks

• Nick Howard

• Patrick Carney

• Paul McDonald

• Rodney Crowell

• Ron Pope

• Ruby Amanfu

• Ruston Kelly

• Ryan Hurd

• Sarah Buxton

• Sarah Jarosz

• Shane McAnally

• Sheryl Crow

• Sierra Hull

• Sista Strings

• Sixpence None the Richer

• The Brook & the Bluff

• The Cadillac Three

• The Wood Brothers

• TJ Osborne

• Will Hoge

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Amy Grant, Sheryl Crow and other top artists push for gun reform