Two notable recording artists have joined a chorus of calls for Tennessee to implement stricter gun control measures.
“We’re Nashvillians. We’re also moms,” Sheryl Crow told News Channel 5. “And I think what happened at Covenant has touched everyone, including Gov. Lee on a very deep and personal level. We just want to see something that we can all agree on.”
Singer Amy Grant also wants to have a conversation about gun control.
“We see the power of finding common-ground conversation,” she said. “Everyone is fatigued from the trauma, and I think that creates a table to which everyone is willing to come forward and sit around and say this is complicated. Everybody wants change.”
Crow and Grant are reportedly part of a new coalition called “Voices for a Safer Tennessee.”
“Voices for a Safer Tennessee is a nonpartisan statewide coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety and advocating for common sense gun laws to make communities across Tennessee safer for all of us,” according to that organization’s website. “If you believe our children deserve a safer Tennessee, then we are on the same side.”
Crow and Grant spoke out while four Tennessee mayors penned a letter to Gov. Bill Lee (R), demanding stricter gun control laws.
Mayors Jim Cooper (D) of Nashville, Lee Harris (D) of Shelby County, Tim Kelly (D) of Chattanooga, and Indya Kincannon (D) of Knoxville all co-signed the letter.
Of the many demands in the letter, the mayors notably called for “Red Flag” laws, a subject on which Lee has recently shown weakness.
The letter said:
- Implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
- Known as a “red flag” law, an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) empowers law enforcement and family members to intervene and temporarily prevent those at extreme risk of harming themselves or others from possessing guns.
- Law enforcement and immediate family members could petition a civil court for an ERPO to temporarily remove guns from the possession of those at serious risk of harming themselves or others. If a judge finds that there is sufficient evidence, that person is temporarily prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns. The guns they already own will also be held by law enforcement for the duration of the ERPO.
- Once the immediate threat of harm to an individual or others is removed, individuals can petition to have the ERPO removed to ensure proper due process.
- Tennessee should allow law enforcement to petition a civil court for an ERPO. Petitioners could also include immediate family members and medical professionals. 20 states have already implemented ERPOs.
- A recent poll showed that 71% of Tennesseans support adopting red flag laws.
Lee called for “Red Flag” laws on April 11, bending to the pressure from liberal activists, including Democrat state representatives who have led riots and protests at the Tennessee State Capitol.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Sheryl Crow” by Sheryl Crow. Photo “Amy Grant” by Amy Grant.
