Tennessee Faith-Based Letter to End Gun Violence

After our community was shaken by the tragic deaths of students and staff at the Covenant School, we felt compelled in our grief to address the number one health crisis for our own children: gun violence. In the footsteps of Senator Bill Frist, MD and Rev. Clay Stauffer with their leadership on this issue, we have rallied faith leaders from across the state to take a stand for stronger, better legislation against gun violence for this upcoming Special Session on August 21 for our legislature.

We are calling for the following:

1. Allow authorities to temporarily remove guns from those who pose a risk to themselves or others by enacting Extreme Risk Protection Orders.

2. Keep guns away from dangerous people by expanding background checks on all firearms purchases.

3. Stop firearms from falling into the wrong hands by implementing child access prevention and safe storage laws .

4. Require firearms safety courses for ownership.