Katherine Oung
The Tennessee Capitol building on a rainy day, as photographed on April 6, 2023. (Hustler Staff/Katherine Oung)
In the wake of the Covenant School shooting that killed three students and three staff members, student activists, Vanderbilt community members and elected leaders have placed renewed attention on Tennessee’s gun laws — which have become looser in recent years.
Despite a record of opposing gun control measures, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed an executive order on April 11 strengthening Tennessee’s background check process for licensed firearm dealers. Guns can still be acquired legally in Tennessee through private sellers without a background check.
In the EO, Lee also called for state legislators to pass a law that would give authorities the ability to take guns from people that a court deems a threat to themselves or others — often referred to as a “red flag” law. Following Lee’s April 11 EO, House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) both expressed openness to considering a red flag law. However, the Delayed Bills Committee voted to not approve a red flag bill (SB 1564) that Democrats filed on April 5.
Lee also proposed a package of school safety policies and additional funding for such initiatives in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
According to the most recently released CDC data from 2020, Tennessee has the 10th highest rate of gun deaths in the country — 56% higher than the national average. That same year, firearms became the No. 1 cause of death for youth in the U.S. and has remained since then.
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