The Tennessee Republican State Executive Committee passed a resolution on Saturday that calls on Governor Bill Lee to forgo calling the Tennessee General Assembly for a special session addressing “public safety,” according to a report by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Committee member Tina Benkiser of Signal Mountain introduced the resolution which, according to the report, read, “The Tennessee Republican Party encourages Gov. Bill Lee to reconsider and not have a special session Aug. 21, 2023.”
Shortly after announcing the legislative special session, scheduled to convene in two weeks on August 21, Lee said he would “meet with legislators, stakeholders and Tennesseans throughout the summer to discuss practical solutions ahead of the special session” in the meantime.
However, as recently noted by State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) on The Tennessee Star Report, Lee “has not said anything to lawmakers about what he is aiming to accomplish.”
Johnson added that, “typically the work regarding whatever is to be considered is developed and circulated and discussed prior to convening that special session.”
“We don’t typically convene a special session to go in and then start figuring out what we want to do, what we want to pass,” he said.
Lee initially called for Red Flag Laws in response to the March 27 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, to which Republican legislators said they will not introduce legislation for.
At the end of April, Lee vowed that the collection writings by the killer collectively known as “the Manifesto” would be released “very soon.”
But, amid a flurry of legal action by The Tennessee Star and others, the Manifesto is still hidden from public scrutiny.
Meanwhile, a series of undercover recordings obtained by The Star revealed far-left activists have begun planning protests to coincide with Lee’s special session in order to pressure lawmakers to swiftly pass Red Flag gun control laws. The would-be protesters discuss their intention to be armed, disable law enforcement vehicles, their arrests, and their ultimate goals going forward.
Since then, a considerable amount of lawmakers and organizations have spoken out against Lee’s call for a special session.
The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA), for example, launched a media campaign opposed to Lee’s call for a special session in the General Assembly to consider possible gun control legislation, known as “Red Flag Down.” TFA has also warned that Lee is “conspiring with Democrats” to craft a “surprise gun control agenda” for the special session.
In addition, the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) has called Lee’s proposed special session “ill-advised,” citing credible evidence that far left activists intend to disrupt the session and may pose a significant threat to the safety of legislators and the public in general at the Capitol in Nashville.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
