Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) asked Tennessee’s Republican-controlled lawmakers on Tuesday to pass a “red flag” law. He did this after making an executive order to make the state’s background checks for gun buyers stricter.
Two weeks ago, three children and three adults were killed at the Covenant School in Nashville by a transgender person who got into the Christian school and opened fire on students and staff. The new push comes after that. Lee told The Tennessean that he is “asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” also called a “red flag law.” This law would allow the government to take guns away from people who are a danger to themselves or others.
The governor said, “A new strong order of protection law will protect the wider population from people who are dangerous to themselves or to the population.” “Now is the time to take charge and give the people of Tennessee what they deserve,” they said.
Lee’s executive order gives the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) 72 hours to report any new criminal behavior or court information about mental health to the Tennessee Instant Check System. This is a background check system. The order says that within two months, the TBI must tell Lee’s office and the General Assembly about “any barriers to complete, accurate, and timely reporting of information that is available in TICS,” according to The Tennesseean.
Red flag laws are in place in 19 states, including Republican-led states like Indiana and Florida. They target people who are thought to have mental health problems and give a state court the power to order police to take guns away from people who are thought to be dangerous. Police in Nashville say that the Covenant School killer, who was 28 years old and had seven guns, was getting help for a “emotional disorder,” and her parents did not want her to have guns.
People who don’t like red flag laws say that they are a threat to the Second Amendment and due process, and that they don’t stop people from doing bad things. Dana Loesch, a former spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, told The Daily Wire, “Red flag laws only do two things: they take away your right to due process and they take away your guns.” The person in question is not helped with their mental health. In an ex parte process, you are found guilty and given a punishment. You then have to pay to defend yourself in front of a judge. There is no proof that they cut down on gun murders. There are already ways for a dangerous person who poses a threat to themselves or others to be found mentally unfit or put in brief care. If you don’t use these choices, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any.
In a statement sent to The Daily Wire on Tuesday, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said that the House is “willing to work toward bipartisan solutions to protect all children at their schools, in their communities, and inside their homes,” as long as any order of protection law has “a level of due process, protections against fraudulent claims, and a quick judicial hearing for people who pose immediate threats.”
“We all respect Gov. Lee’s leadership and his desire to find ways to stop tragedies like the shooting at Covenant School two weeks ago,” said Sexton.
When The Daily Wire asked what he thought about a “red flag law” earlier this month, Lee’s office said that it was important to the governor to find answers that would protect both people’s lives and their rights under the Constitution.
Lee suggested a plan earlier this month to put an armed school resource officer (SRO) in every public school and pay for private schools to hire armed guards with the same level of training as those in public schools. The Tennessean said that private schools would not have to take part in the scheme.