Categories: International

US: Democratic Lawmakers To Face Expulsion Votes For Joining Gun Control Protest

  • The protest is coming a week after the Nashville deadly shooting.

  • Six people, including three children, were killed in the shooting

  • There have been debates over the US about gun laws which the democrats think should be stricter

Eko Hot Blog reports that Three Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee face an expulsion vote for participating in gun control protests after the deadly Nashville school shooting.

EDITOR’S PICKS

Hundreds had marched to the Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday, calling for stricter gun laws.

Tennessee Republicans have accused the protestors and the Democrat House members of disruption.

Six people, including three children, were killed in the 27 March shooting.

On Monday, the Republican leadership of the Tennessee House of Representatives filed a resolution to expel the three Democrats from their legislature seat for “disorderly behaviour”.

The Democrats – Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson – interrupted House proceedings on Thursday to join protestors at the state Capitol.

During the protest, Mr Jones held a sign that read “Protect kids, not guns” and led protest chants, shouting “no action, no peace” into a megaphone.

In the aftermath, Mr Jones and Ms Johnson were stripped of their committee assignments by the Republican leadership. Mr Pearson did not serve on any committee.

The resolution to expel the three states that they brought “disorder and dishonour to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions”.

Ms Johnson told reporters on Monday that they were tired of “not being heard”.

“We decided between bills, we are going to walk up, we’re going to acknowledge the people outside surrounding this building, in the rotunda, and we’re going to speak to their issue and tell them we are with them,” she said.

Another protest calling for stricter gun laws erupted on Monday in Nashville. More than a thousand students staged a school walk-out and once again gathered outside the Tennessee State Capitol.

“We all want to live through high school, and that’s why we’re here today,” 17-year-old Amy Goetzinger told local news outlet Chalkbeat Tennesse.

The protests come amid the release of new details on the Covenant School shooting by Nashville police, who said on Monday that the shooter fired 152 rounds and that the attack was planned “over months”.

Three staff members of The Covenant School- Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61 – were killed, along with three nine-year-old students: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

Police have identified the shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, a former student at the private Christian school.

A manifesto by the shooter had been recovered by police, but they have yet to determine a motive.

They added that Hale “acted totally alone” and that the shooter had considered committing other mass murders.

Hale was killed after a confrontation with police 14 minutes after the shooting began.

Funeral proceedings for the victims began on Friday and will continue into Wednesday.

The shooting has once again ignited a heated political debate in the US on gun laws and safety.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has called for a ban on assault weapons.

FURTHER READING

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, proposed $155m (£120m) to place an armed security guard at every public school in Tennessee and boost security presence at public and private schools.

Source: BBC

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