These stunningly alarming facts from the Center for American Progress: “Gun violence has become a grim reality of life in the United States. According to data from the Pew Research Center, 44 percent of Americans say that they know someone who has been shot, and another 23 percent report that a gun has been used to threaten or intimidate them or a family member. A September 2019 ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 6 in 10 Americans fear that a mass shooting will occur in their community. And in a March 2018 USA Today/Ipsos poll, 53 percent of young people between the ages of 13 and 17 identified gun violence as a “major worry”—outranking all other concerns listed in the poll. “ “More than 35 percent of gun deaths in the United States are gun homicides, meaning that close to 33 people are murdered with a gun every day. The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than in other high-income nations.” Your support of a “Constitutional Carry” law in TN is incomprehensible to the vast majority of TN residents. I think your assertion that everyone is entitled by the Constitution to carry around a loaded firearm is absolute nonsense. Your support of this initiative will imperil Tennesseans’ lives without ANY justification that can pass muster. TN is already ranked in the top 10 states for the rate of gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Passing this irresponsible law which will dramatically expand the number of loaded firearms present during our everyday lives. You and the GOP members of the TN Legislature are making my (and your) state look like we don’t place a value on public safety. Why would you do that? You say you are pro-life, yet you support legislation that will likely increase the number of gun deaths in TN. Please stop acting like we’re still living in the Wild West, Governor. Be responsible and support reasonable gun control legislation to make TN a safer state for all of us.
