In light of the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, some of Music City’s biggest names are coming together to urge Tennessee’s lawmakers to pass gun reform laws. Amy Grant, Sheryl Crow, and Kacey Musgraves are among the names petitioning the state legislature.
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“Gun violence in Tennessee is not inevitable,” the group said in a statement (per the Tennessean). “We are not hopeless, and we will not accept inaction. This does not have to be our normal and we ask that you stand with us. We know that gun safety laws work. Policies like extreme risk protection laws and secure storage of firearms can save lives. And we ask that you keep your session open until these policies are put into place.
“We need to put the safety of our children above politics and special interests,” the group continued. “We appreciate Governor [Bill] Lee taking steps towards creating a safer community against gun violence, however, we believe these are only the first steps in improving the safety for our children and Tennesseans. It’s time for you to pass effective measures that will keep guns out of dangerous hands before the shooting starts.”
The group – part of Voices for a Safer Tennessee – is asking for “common-sense gun laws” to be enacted before the lawmakers end their session in May. Governor Lee previously ignited conversations about “red flag” laws, which would temporarily allow members of the police force to take away guns from anyone deemed a risk.
“Anything that’s pushed to a later agenda just loses momentum,” Grant told the Tennessean. “There’s too much pain to lose momentum. As songwriters, there’s not a song when you show up at 10 a.m. — you just talk until the ideas come together.
“There is a force in communication, especially when it’s a shared goal,” she continued. “By the end of the day, you’ve got a chorus. You actually can create something out of nothing with the right kind of concerted effort, and it can be game-changing.”
On Tuesday (April 18), thousands of people participated in synchronous protests in Nashville and Knoxville, lining the streets of both downtown areas and linking arms.
(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
