It’s way past time for our elected officials to stop repeating NRA talking points and listen to the majority of Americans – and Tennesseans – who support stronger gun laws. The House passed HR 8, legislation to expand background checks to all gun sales. Senators Blackburn and Alexander need to urge Mitch McConnell to bring the bill to the Senate floor. They need to join with Senator Lindsey Graham in his support of red flag laws.

Here in Tennessee, our legislators continue to loosen our state’s gun laws, even as our state’s gun violence problem continues to increase. They ignore the majority of Tennesseans and refuse to listen to mayors and local law enforcement in cities like Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville who understand that a one-size fits all approach to gun laws in our state does not work.

As a state, we must acknowledge our problem with gun violence and pass evidence-based laws that can reduce not just mass shootings, but also firearm homicides, domestic violence shootings, and youth violence.

And as a city, we need to invest in the community groups addressing the everyday gun violence plaguing our neighborhoods, making certain they have basic funding and our support.

This is not normal. None of this is normal. We cannot become numb to gun violence in America. 

And we can’t become numb to it in our state- or our city.