Readers speak out on gun violence and legislators' expulsions | Letters

House Republicans showed their colors in attempt to expel Dems

I was in the gallery at the Tennessee Capitol on April 6, watching in dismay as the majority of our state legislators showed the racist and sexist underbelly of their legislative process to the world.

I am appalled that my own representative in the House of the Tennessee General Assembly, Ed Butler, as well as John Ragan of Oak Ridge and most of the GOP representatives voted to expel Democratic representatives Justin Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson. (Johnson – the only white representative in danger of being expelled – avoided that fate by one vote.) Their “crime”? Not showing enough “decorum” on the House floor while speaking up for gun control after six people were massacred by someone with an assault rifle in Nashville the week before.

The disdain with which several representatives talked down to Pearson and Jones was palpable. Several mentioned they had been in the House for many years, while Pearson and Jones were new to the process.” Yet gun massacres have been happening here for more than 20 years, particularly after the assault rifle ban was lifted in 2004. During that time our representatives have done nothing to curb this violence other than suggesting that schools should be protected like prisons, forgetting that gun violence also happens outside of schools. In fact, they have continued to make guns easier to get in Tennessee.

I am grateful for these three representatives for trying to open the discussion on actual gun control: red-flag laws, the elimination of background check loopholes, waiting periods, safe gun storage requirements and a ban on assault weapons. As embarrassing as it is to live in Tennessee right now, my hope is that this spectacle will finally usher in legislative changes that protect the lives of people, especially children, rather than the weapons that are used to murder them.

Liz McGeachy, Norris

Tennessee Republicans are abusing their power

Apparently the GOP in our state believes that a supermajority is a terrible thing to waste. Tennessee needs a strong two-party system to maintain decision-making balance and reason on the most important issues of the day. One of those issues is keeping guns out of the hands of would-be killers. It is bad enough to refuse to hear the voice of the minority, but it is among the worst of behaviors to expel and eliminate the voice of the opposition simply because you can. Our legislature is strongest when its decisions are based on having heard and considered the voices of all of the people.

Kim Hoag, Lenoir City

Why won't Congress tackle gun violence? Because money talks

In an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel about the Covenant School shooting in Nashville that killed six, including three children, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett said he does not see "any real role" for Congress in addressing gun violence other than to “mess things up.”

Hear more Tennessee voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns.

This has stirred up a lot of concerns and frustrations, but he’s actually right. Why? Because it’s way too late. Twenty years or so ago it was different. Congress had banned assault weapons, then in their infinite wisdom they did not renew the ban. Why? It’s really very simple. The National Rifle Association has pumped millions of dollars into their reelection campaigns. The old saying that money talks was never so true.

Geoff Shuman, Knoxville

An open letter to Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton

As a person whose Knoxville church was attacked by a right-wing extremist bearing a gun and firing into a crowd during a youth-led worship service (killing two, wounding six and literally dousing children in blood), I feel a sense of deep empathy for the children and adults gunned down at the Covenant School in Nashville. I also feel a deep connection to the teachers and young people who have been protesting at the Tennessee State Capitol. Unlike you, they are exposed every day to the very real possibility of being gunned down in school.

I am shocked and disheartened that you show no true empathy at all. Instead, you attack colleagues who are attempting to do something, while you do nothing but posture.

You have embarrassed our state in the eyes of the entire nation. If you have no intention of being a decent human being showing empathy and compassion, and if you have no intention of instituting common-sense gun reform in our state, then I call on you to resign.

I also suggest that you meet with your pastor at your church, like the good Baptist you are, and rededicate yourself to Christ’s mission. Then perhaps you could issue a true apology to the legislators, teachers, students and parents you have so disdainfully dismissed.

Brian Griffin, Knoxville

Shame on lawmakers for trying to override voice of the people

I have a message for all the Knoxville-area state legislators who voted to disenfranchise over 70,000 of their fellow Knoxville citizens by voting to oust state Rep. Gloria Johnson. You will not be forgotten or forgiven. We chose her to represent us, and that is not yours to take away. Shame!

Robert Keeler, Knoxville

Why voters bear some responsibility in deadly school shooting

The most recent mass shooting in our state resulted in the murders of three children and three adults in a Nashville private school.

We can all agree the shooter is ultimately responsible for those murders. The motive is inconsequential because six people were murdered.

However, we as Tennesseans bear responsibly for allowing that killer unfettered access to weapons whose only purpose is to kill something. We allowed our elected representatives to consider bills that would expand access to weapons designed to kill something.

It isn't a God-given right. It isn't about personal protection. It's all about lobbyists' money and killing things!

Joseph Fink, Strawberry Plains

The US Constitution needs a new amendment with national gun laws

Our efforts to enact reasonable uniform statutes to govern gun ownership and protect citizens from gun violence have failed and will continue to be ineffective. Given the decentralized nature of federalism, creating a single set of policies to govern a national problem is not possible. Fifty sets of state laws and the ambiguity of congressional authority has not resulted in a national approach to gun safety.

Only an amendment to the U.S. Constitution will offer the possibility of developing a single body of law to define and protect the rights of citizens with respect to the ownership of firearms. I propose the following 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

"The right of citizens to bear arms is subject to appropriate congressional action in the interest of public safety."

This amendment reaffirms the right to bear arms, designates who may define that right and indicates why such legislation is appropriate.

No serious advocate of action on gun safety wants to deprive citizens of their existing constitutional rights. The proposed language protects that right but subjects it to reasonable oversight. As proposed, Congress alone would have the authority to decide on the appropriateness of legislation on the issue because the issue of firearm safety is a national in scope and must be dealt with at that level exclusively. No longer will there be so many state variations in gun regulations.

The amendment explicitly recognizes that gun ownership involves both the right to own firearms and the necessity of protecting the public from the illegal use of those weapons. Congressional authority is to be exercised in the interest of balancing those two interests.

In the present political climate, adopting a constitutional amendment will not happen. However, the grim reality is that nothing has worked thus far. We must do something differently. The political landscape does change and debate on the merits of an amendment can shape that change.

Donn Kurtz, Knoxville

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Letters: Readers speak out on gun violence, legislators' expulsions