Just over two weeks after the Nashville Christian school shooting, calling on the state legislatures to pass a red flag law, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) appears be caving on his opposition to gun control. Despite the fact that red flag laws don’t have a great track record of working, Gov. Lee is now pushing a red flag law for Tennessee.
Doing so in 1999, Connecticut was the first state in the Union to adopt a red flag law. However, the law did not prevent the December 14, 2012, attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School from occurring. Then, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in October 2014 signed California’s gun violence restraining order legislation into law. Reportedly California was and continues to be the number one state in the Union for gun control, and also the number one state for “active shooter incidents.”
Reportedly, the Tennessean quoted Lee saying, -
“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law. A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population.”
-Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R)
In hopes of persuading them to support the gun control measure, Politico observed Lee plans to meet with leaders of the state legislature. With the controversy that this seeming change of heart has brought, throughout the state, on social media – Lee will likely have his work cut out for him.
According to an article by Breitbart, this last TN shooting would not have been stopped by a red flag law. Pre-emptively, it would not have stopped the Nashville shooting from taking place, because neither police nor the family of the 28-year-old transgender shooter were aware of the planned violence against the Christian school.
Also reportedly, her parents knew she had one gun, once upon a time, that they urged her to sell it and believed she had done so. Further, she kept those other firearms, that she had additionally bought, hidden from them. Additionally, this transgender shooter had no criminal record. She bought her guns legally and was not on any police radar.
According to The Daily Beast, chief John Drake, of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), indicated MNPD would have taken away the shooter’s guns prior to the attack occurring, but “as it stands, [they] had absolutely no idea who…[she] was.”
Apparently in his second term as Governor, Lee has a track record of decisions, that some on social media have felt, represented a delay in coming, such as opposing Covid-19 mandatory injections. It will be interesting to see what the actual legislative body thinks of his request. Many social media comments are clearly not supportive of this law, which some see as unconstitutional and a slippery slope to deny their Second Amendment rights down the road. Stay tuned to this one.
“Stand up for what you believe in, even if you stand alone.” … “Stand up for what is right even if you're standing alone.” …“Stand up for what is right regardless of who is committing the wrong.”
-Suzy Kassem,