This week, the Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature will gather in a special session to discuss a number of public safety initiatives, some of which are in response to an earlier this year deadly shooting at an elementary school in Nashville and across states.
Although it is not anticipated that the session will result in any new weapons regulations, it nonetheless demonstrates how differently states have responded to a wave of horrific shootings that have occurred across the US.
The Evolution of State Gun Control Legislation
This year, more than half of the states passed significant new gun control or school safety laws, most frequently tightening firearm regulations in states with Democratic governors and reducing them in areas with Republican governors.
Some states have also spent a lot of money on initiatives to secure schools or to instruct teachers and staff on how to react in the event of shootings.
Tennessee lawmakers will be debating an 18-point agenda during their special session, which is being led by Republican Governor Bill Lee.
The idea that has garnered the most attention from the public also seems to have the lowest chance of passing. Judges would be given the authority to impose interim gun confiscation orders on individuals who are deemed to pose a danger to others or themselves.
According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, laws authorizing extreme risk protection orders are currently in effect in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
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A Different Perspective on Red Flag Laws
This includes the so-called red flag laws that were approved this year in Michigan and Minnesota, both of which have new Democratic legislative majorities.
Lee has refrained from calling his idea a red flag law, stressing that it would only permit the removal of firearms in the course of a court case, not in advance of the person’s court appearance.
Legislation pertaining to mental health resources, school safety measures, and harsher penalties for some offenses are also on the special session’s agenda for Tennessee.
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