Nashville, TN – After speaking at a press conference yesterday calling for meaningful common sense gun legislation, a group of Tennessee pastors released the following statement regarding the ongoing political games from the Tennessee House and Senate.
“Yesterday morning we gathered in a press conference to call on the Supermajority Legislature to enact gun safety legislation that would create safe schools and communities free from the fear of gun violence as it is our belief that all Tennesseans, regardless of race, place or income deserve to live free from the fear of gun violence in their communities. Yet instead of heeding our call or listening to the voices of Tennesseans calling for reform, they instead continued their political antics in a feud between the House and the Senate that will now continue on to next week. Not only is it costing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, but it’s also an insult to the unending time and effort put in by advocates, parents, and survivors who have spent countless hours sitting in and testifying in committee hearings, both in and outside the House and Senate galleries, and contacting their elected leaders for months and years.
“It is our prayer and ongoing ask that our Supermajority Legislature and Governor Lee put aside thesse political games and instead focus on enacting policy that protects our children from gun violence. As we said yesterday we are not going anywhere and we will continue to advocate and speak out until our vision of communities safe from gun violence is a reality.”
- Rev. Byron Moore, Pastor of Greater Bethel AME Church in Nashville
- Rev. Rick Roberts, Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Donelson
- Rev. Chris Buice, Pastor of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville
- Rev. Janet Maykus, Senior Minister at Eastwood Christian Church in Nashville
- Chaplain Dahron Johnson, Nashville Chaplain
