On March 27, 2023, an armed assailant breached the campus of a private school in Nashville and killed six people. Later that month, three Democratic legislators, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, interrupted the House to rally for stricter gun control. In response, Tennessee House Republicans voted to expel the three Democrats from the legislature, claiming their actions violated the House rules of procedure. On April 6, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were ousted and Gloria Johnson escaped expulsion by only one vote. These expulsions marked only the third time since the civil war that the Tennessee house had expelled legislators.
Unsurprisingly, the votes passed largely along party lines. The Republican controlled House of Representatives have long rejected the numerous calls for stricter gun control laws, focusing instead on increasing security in schools. Despite this history, in the wake of the continued protests, the legislature finally moved to tighten gun access in the state. Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, announced that he would sign an executive order for stricter background checks for buying guns in the state, a big win for the Democratic legislators.
When House seats are left vacant, the power to name replacements lies in the hands of the local governments in the districts represented by the vacant seats. The Metropolitan Nashville Council quickly voted to appoint Justin Jones back to his seat and he was sworn in the same day. Soon after, the Shelby County Commission voted to reinstate Justin Pearson as well. The fast pace of the reinstatement process meant that neither Justin Jones nor Justin Pearson missed a floor session in the House. Many high-ranking government officials, including President Joe Biden, spoke of their anger towards the ousting of the two legislators, calling the actions overly vindictive and undemocratic. The notable attention these House expulsions received brings attention to the meaningful change necessary to strengthen gun laws.
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